Handguns and Second Chances
by cherryem
Summary: Hunter is an orphan that miraculously survives a fire. Now she is given a second chance at Cross Academy. However, not quite human or vampire things are bound to get complicated. OC centric. Most likely ZeroxOC. Summary inside.
1. Accelerated

**Author's Note: This is my first VK fanfic - I'm still working on finishing my Bleach fics so the updates will be irregular. This will get better once I involve the rest of VK cast.**

**Brief Summary: Hunter is an orphan girl who miraculously survives a fire during which her best friend dies. Having no memories of the event, she is given a second chance at Cross Academy. However, things are a bit complicated seeing as she's not quite exactly human nor vampire. Her presence also puts the vampires on the edge and the only ones who know what she is are Chairman and Sister Katherine. Numb and confused, Hunter tries to fit in but for some reason she can't get herself to put in the effort. ZEROxOC.**

**Comment. Criticize. Compliment.**

**Either is fine.**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

"_They are not long, the weeping and the laughter,  
Love and desire and hate:  
I think they have no portion in us after  
We pass the gate.  
They are not long, the days of wine and roses;  
Out of a misty dream  
Our path emerges for a while, then closes  
Within a dream."_

-Ernest Dawson

-01: Accelerated-

It was dark. The sound of a water droplet falling into a deeper puddle echoed in the cold darkness. The place smelled damp and musty, like an old cellar. It seemed oddly familiar, even though she couldn't recall ever being in such place. The mustiness of this place was accompanied by a metallic scent – was it blood? Feeling around, her hands were met with the feel of slick, wet bricks that must have been a part of the walls surrounding her. Getting up from the cold stone floor, she felt around the walls trying to create an image in her head like a blind person would.

The place was eerily silent – to the point where her own shallow breathing seemed to be too loud. Yet for some reason she felt as if someone else was there – watching her. Taking a cautious step further, her hand gripped the slick wall, when a set of footsteps echoed outside the room she was in. As if someone was walking down a hallway…

Ignoring her blindness and throwing caution to the nonexistent wind, she hurried towards the source of the sound with her hand still feeling the wall for a door, if there was one. When her hand fell upon a heavy metal door her heart skipped a beat. Feeling herself grin, she fumbled for the door knob then swung the door open to be met with only more darkness. The footsteps resumed in the distance to her right. Without a second thought she broke into a run, wanting nothing more but to meet the person that was wandering about in this darkness.

Cold perspiration clung to her skin, her once shallow breathing now replaced with heavy panting. No matter how fast and how far she ran, she just couldn't catch up with the person in front of her. Refusing to give up, she picked up her speed and continued to run until a sliver of light appeared ahead, illuminating a black silhouette.

A wave of excitement washed over her. She was finally going to meet this person. Suddenly a loud screeching buzz echoed within her head, blurring the image before her. "No…" she said as she reached her hand out to the black silhouette, her vision blurring further with each step. Desperately reaching out to the shadow one more time, her world faded as the buzzing took over her senses.

Her eyes snapped open when a pair of hands began shaking her body. She had that dream again and for some reason she was feeling hot – or was the room just hot? Annoyed by the noise and shaking she mustered a tired glare at the person shaking her, not quite comprehending what was going on. "Hunter, wake up! We need to get out of here!" the person yelled. It was then when her mind recognized the person as her "bunk buddy" Michelle.

Confused, Hunter sat up in her bed trying to comprehend the situation, but Michelle grabbed her arm and yanked her out of her bed and began dragging her out of the room they shared with many other girls. After all, this was an orphanage. Taking a quick glance around them as she allowed herself to be dragged, Hunter realized that the noise that awoke her was the screech of the fire alarms spread throughout the building. It was then that she also noticed that she and Michelle were the only ones in the room. Were they having another fire drill and she slept through most of it due to the sleep-aids the nuns made her take?

Hunter received her answer when Michelle yanked open the door to their room. A torrid wave of heat hit them both from the hallway that was on fire. "Shit!" Michelle cursed as she covered her mouth with her sleeve in order to avoid breathing in the harmful smoke. Hunter stood dumbfounded, like a doll still trying to process everything. Michelle grabbed her hand once more and began dragging her further into the flames. All Hunter could see was the back of Michelle's head – her red hair almost matching the fire. Tearing her eyes away from Michelle she looked at the fire around them. Was the orphanage really burning or was this a dream? She couldn't process. No, her drugged mind couldn't process. The orange flames reflected in her ice blue eyes, dancing about, licking the walls and ceiling, hungrily eating the chipped paint.

Mind still hazed, she allowed Michelle to drag her through the fire. Hunter still couldn't decide whether this was a dream or reality. It didn't really matter either way because Michelle was her best friend and she trusted her. Suddenly the ceiling above them began to crumble, making Michelle yelp as some ceiling joists fell onto the floor before her, blocking their path. Just as quickly the ceiling collapsed above them the floor caved in underneath Hunter, dragging her down into what seemed like the pits of hell. "Hunter!" she heard Michelle yell as their hands got separated. It all happened so quickly yet it seemed as if it was happening in slow motion. Hunter's eyes met Michelle's in mid fall – the image of her friend's emerald green eyes being the last one before her body hit the ground and debris covered her body.

Still conscious, Hunter heard her name being called followed by another loud crash and a scream. A warm liquid dripped down on her cheek and her world faded into darkness.

This was a dream, right?

* * * * * ** * *

Hunter awoke to sunlight jabbing at her closed eyelids. How annoying. She tried to roll over in order to shield her face from the irritating sun but found herself slightly restrained. Cracking one tired eye open she saw strange clear tubes attached to her, accompanied by gauze and different kinds of bandages. Opening her other eye she noticed there was an apparatus attached to her face – an oxygen mask. Looking around she saw plain walls, sterile lighting, and different kinds of machines surrounding her. The sound of a heart monitor entered her ears telling her that it must be her heart it's monitoring.

Piecing things together, the girl finally understood she was in a hospital – but why?

As if on cue, a short haired blond nurse came into her room, hurry evident in her brisk gait. "Oh my, you're finally awake, thank goodness we thought you might have fallen into a coma, I'll go get the doctor" the nurse said chirpily, her doe-like brown eyes filled with sympathetic warmth. The nurse was gone as quickly as she came, leaving Hunter alone once again to contemplate what has happened. Unfortunately she couldn't remember much.

A clean-cut older looking man came into Hunter's room. He was tall with tanned skin and his dark brown hair was begging to display signs of graying. Judging by his attire, she guessed this was the doctor the nurse mentioned. He came up to her bed and removed her oxygen mask just like he's done to many other patients before. "Hunter, I'm Dr. Kesslov and this is Nurse Emilia, I'm glad you're finally awake, so how are you feeling dear?" the doctor asked her in a warm tone.

"F-fine," she managed to croak out, finding it difficult for her vocal chords to function properly. "W-what am I doing here?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. The nurse and the doctor exchanged worried looks.

* * * * * * * * *

Numb – that's what she was. Sitting next to Sister Katherine, across from them an eccentric man adored in panache attire. It's been a couple of weeks since she awoke in a hospital bed. The doctor and Sister Katherine both explained to her what had happened, though she had no recollection of it actually happening. Apparently St. Margaret's orphanage burnt down due to electrical problems and that she was one of the victims. Sister Katherine told her that it must have been a God's gift that she survived the fire after being covered with debris. The burns all over her arms and back were enough of evidence that she was in a fire. Yet she still couldn't remember it.

The laughter of the two adults disrupted her thoughts as she mentally returned back into the real world. "Headmaster Cross, don't say such things!" Sister Katherine said as she laughed. "Now Katherine, we're not strangers, call me Kaien!" the eccentric headmaster said as he calmed his own laughter. Hunter felt as if she missed something funny – but then again it most likely wasn't funny to begin with. "Anyway, we'll have Hunter get settled in today and she'll start classes tomorrow, we'll take good care of her." The chairman said then as if on cue a short brunette walked into the office.

"This is Yuuki, she'll show you around the school grounds," he said introducing the petit brunette. "I'm Cross Yuuki, pleased to meet you." Hunter stared blankly at the girl as she introduced herself. "I'm Hunter," she replied in monotone, her voice as blank as her eyes. "Well then, I'll see you girls later, don't have too much fun!" Headmaster Cross said as he ushered the two girls out of his office.

Once they were gone, Kaien took in a deep breath then let out a small sigh as he sat down back in his chair. "I'm really sorry for troubling you Kaien," Sister Katherine said, all the joking and laughter gone. "But you're the only one I know who deals with _that _kind – "she said but the headmaster waved her off. "Don't worry about, besides, she's not _that_ kind, she's different. Otherwise I'd have her in the night class. I'm sure she'll do fine here, poor girl just survived a fire and is suffering from amnesia." Kaien said, his flamboyant demeanor no longer existent.

"Aye, but I'm kind of glad she doesn't remember the fire." Sister Katherine said thoughtfully. "At least she doesn't have to suffer the pain of losing her friend…" she added as an afterthought. "Ah, I guess I'm just glad she can have a second chance at life, being the way she is..."

After a moment of silence, Sister Katherine pulled out some sort of medication from her purse. "These are her sleeping pills. She can never sleep at night _due to what she is_ so we've had her take these to make her sleep like everyone else. She has some of her own along with the other medications the doctor prescribed for her burns. I really appreciate you helping us out and I hope we're not troubling you too much." Sister Katherine said sincerely, though there was undeniable worry in her hazel eyes. Headmaster Cross chuckled, "I have a school full of humans and vampires living together – taking care of Hunter won't be troubling at all." Or at least that's what he thought.

* * * * * *

Hunter followed Yuuki quietly as the shorter girl briskly walked about the academy's grounds, showing her where everything was. She already changed in the day-class uniform to blend in with the rest of the students on campus. The small brunette's chatter was also a never ending thing. Even if she didn't reply, the girl would still continue to talk. "Oh, the sun's setting. I guess it's time for me to show you where the night class dorms are." Yuuki said and headed out of the main building towards the Moon Dorms.

When they reached the gates, Hunter's ears were met with high pitched giggles and shrieks of girls all gathered before the gates to the Moon Dorms, resembling a large claque waiting for their favorite boy band. "Move back! The night students need to make their way to class so please step back!" Yuuki yelled as she blew her whistle in order to get the attention of all the gathered but completely failing. Hunter stood quietly on the side like a shadow watching the spectacle.

The grinding of hinges on the gates made Hunter look towards the source of the sound, only to flinch from the excessively loud shrieks that were produced by these seemingly obsessive fan girls. Cringing at the noise, she heard Yuuki try to yell over the shrieks and screams to get the day-girls under control. She wasn't quite sure what was so special about the night class to get so excited about. Sure, they were attractive, but their strange aura was enough to ward her off.

Hunter took a quick glance at Yuuki, who was losing her battle against the other girls. Poor girl looked like she was about to get trampled. "Scatter…" a cold voice suddenly said, making all the girls go silent and cower in fear before leaving. Hunter let her ice-blue eyes wander to the owner of this cold voice. Her gaze fell upon a tall, silver haired teen, with violet eyes and unnaturally pale skin. It reminded her of a condition called "albinism" where due to lack of pigmentation in the iris the person's eyes look either pink or violet because of the blood vessels within the eye.

"Ah, Zero!"Yuuki exclaimed as she walked up to him. "You're late!" she then yelled and the two broke out into what seemed an old argument. Yawning, Hunter walked up to the two, ignoring the glances of the passing night class. "Eh, Yuuki…" she interrupted catching the attention of the two bickering perfects.

Zero glanced at the girl. This must be the one the chairman mentioned to him earlier. His usual blunt gaze studied the newcomer as her long raven hair danced with the autumn wind contrasting wildly with her pale skin. She wasn't looking at him, instead she was talking to Yuuki, giving him an opportunity to examine her face and notice her ice-blue eyes that seemed rather dull as if the life in them was lost. Eyes that hid something terrible behind them.

"Yuuki…" another voice called. Zero instantly attached the voice to Kaname's face. The mentioned girl ran to the tall brunette, a slight blush adoring her small face. At the same time, Hunter looked up and glanced from the brunette to Zero. Judging by Zero's expression she assumed that he wasn't too fond of this guy. He also seemed jealous. At least those were the vibes she was getting from him. "C'mon, I'll show you to your dorm," Zero suddenly said and began walking off in a different direction. Shrugging, Hunter decided to follow him.

* * * * * * *

Kuran Kaname placed his hand on the small girl's shoulder. "Who is that girl?" he asked her in his calm _gentle_ voice. Yuuki glanced back at Hunter then faced Kaname. "She's new. The orphanage she was staying at burnt down so Chairman said he'd take her in…"she explained the best she could from what she was told. "Why just her?" the vampire inquired, for something felt off about this girl. Yuuki shrugged, "I don't know, apparently all the other girls were placed in different schools and orphanages as well…."

The vampire looked down on the girl quite lovingly. "Thank you, Yuuki." He said as he gently grazed her cheek with the back of his index finger. The small girl blushed once more, her reaction giving him pure satisfaction.


	2. Nightmares

**Author's Note: thanks to all those who reviewed. I greatly appreciate your input on the story. I tend to write quite vaguely and also have a habit of leaving a lot of things up for interpretation, so if I'll be doing too much of that let me know.**

**Quick Explanation: There are two different kinds of amnesia. The one that Hunter is suffering from is "retrograde amnesia" where a person cannot remember events prior to the onset of amnesia. Also, amnesia doesn't necessarily mean a complete loss of memories. In Hunter's case she developed amnesia from a head injury – if you recall from chapter one she falls through the floor and is covered by debris. To her, what happened at the orphanage was "dream-like" from the very begging so the only thing she doesn't remember is what exactly happened during the fire. She has no idea that Michelle is dead. **

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

-02 Nightmares-

"_So let me take this medicine,  
To quench my love for violent things…"_

_Senses Fail – Bite to Break Skin_

The autumn breeze carried the soft scent of the earth and the dying leaves, creating a relaxing aroma. The scent was pleasing to Hunter as she silently walked behind Zero, assuming he was doing what he said he was going to – take her to her dorm. Yet regardless of what she was doing right now and what lay ahead of her, Hunter still felt the unpleasant cloudiness in her mind. It made her numb and confused – unresponsive to the world around her, as if she had an automated personality, but then again that probably didn't matter to begin with.

Zero glanced over his shoulder to double check if the girl was still following him. The shorter girl was indeed following him, with her head down and hands shoved deep into the pockets of her uniform, wisps of her raven hair wildly dancing with the wind. Hunter seemed almost doll-like. She reminded him of a porcelain doll one might find in either someone's prized collection or an antique store. A rare kind of find, he figured. In part, he found it amusing that she was neither like Yuuki who had no regard for his coldness nor was she like all those other girls around who pretty much pissed their panties from fear when they saw him. Yeah, she was neither. She was just a doll – a porcelain one to be exact – indifferent and so fragile that her face might crack and shatter into a thousand pieces from a single touch. He was probably wrong though.

The two continued to walk silently through an immaculate garden, heading towards the girls' dorms, when the Chairman's ash-blond head popped out from a rose bush. Large trimming scissors in hand and a stray piece of foliage stuck in his hair he beamed, "Kiriyuu-kun, Hunter-chan!"

Zero's face automatically contorted into an irritated scowl while Hunter stared blankly at the Chairman. "Are you two taking a romantic stroll in the garden? Oh don't tell me that love can blossom so early! It must be wonderful to be young!" the headmaster raved as if he was in some sort of his own personal wonderland filled with roses, pink hearts, ugly cute aprons and tea parties. An angry tick appeared on Zero's jaw line and his muscles tensed. "Shut up old man, I'm just taking her to the girls' dorms," the silver haired teen said annoyed. Hunter might be beautiful but his eyes were on Yuuki only.

"Ah, if that's the case then I'll take it from here," Kaien said as he climbed over a bush and stepped in between the two teens. "I still have some things to talk about with Hunter-chan so you're free, Kiriyuu-kun." The blonde said and grabbed Hunter's hand, dragging the girl away from Zero. "Whatever, I don't care." Zero said in his usual annoyed tone and walked away the opposite way.

Hunter let the Headmaster drag her through a maze of paths without saying a word. Not like she had anything to say to begin with. Besides, the Headmaster did all the talking anyway. They walked into the main building where the Chairman's office was located and took several flights of stairs where his personal quarters were. "Since your burns still need to be tended to for the time being you'll be staying in the guest bedroom, is that okay, Hunter-chan?" Kaien asked the girl, but figured she didn't really care since she was in a _contained_ state. Besides, it wouldn't be wise to leave her in a dorm full of either humans or vampires and he's never thought he'd be housing _that_ kind, so there wasn't an extra building just for her.

"It's okay," she replied quietly, her voice soft, just like an angel's but the chairman knew she was far from being an angel.

"I had all your stuff already brought here. Since it's getting late how about you go take a nice warm bath then come by my office so we can put fresh bandages on your wounds?"Kaien said in his typical fatherly way. Hunter gave him a small nod and walked into her room.

Once the door closed behind her the room was swallowed up by darkness, the only source of light being the setting sun that came in through the window. Her icy eyes scanned the dark room for her belongings. She really didn't have much to begin with; she was an orphan after all. When her gaze fell upon the duffel bag that contained her things she walked to it and kneeled down to fish out fresh undergarments and pajamas. Grabbing a clean towel that was also placed in her room she headed out to take a bath that was bound to be painful.

* * * * * * * *

Kiriyuu Zero was exhausted. Undoing his shirt as he walked through the dark hallways he could think only about one thing – Kuran Kaname and Yuuki. Oh how that bastard vampire annoyed him. He wanted nothing more but to blow his fucking brains out with his gun but he knew Yuuki would hate him for it. He also owed that asshole pureblood his life too. It sickened him more than the fact that he was a vampire himself. He drank his blood to prevent himself from falling into a Level E. If it wasn't for Yuuki, he'd rather die than drink Kaname's blood. Love really does make people do crazy things.

Walking into the guest bedroom he considered his own, he kicked off his shoes and shed his clothes down to boxers. Raking a tired hand through his wild silver hair, Zero threw himself onto the bed only to feel another body already there. Shit, it must be Yuuki. She probably fell asleep waiting for him. That girl sacrificed too much of herself for a wretch like him. He didn't deserve it.

Zero lifted the covers and his eyes widened a bit in surprise when he saw it wasn't Yuuki. It was Hunter. What the hell was she doing in his room sleeping? Then it clicked in his head – the chairman had to have put her here. Considering the circumstances it was an understandable move but out of all guest rooms why on earth did that old psycho man have to use his?! He let out a small growl of annoyance and got out of bed. With Hunter in his bed now he had to go look for a different place to sleep. That was just great. Definitely the cherry on top for the night – especially after seeing Kaname and Yuuki being so damn close.

Hunter stirred in her sleep. "No…wait…" she mumbled incoherently, her hand reaching out. At first Zero thought she might be talking to him but when he looked at her he noticed she was still asleep. Buttoning up his shirt he heard her mumble something else but couldn't quite understand her. Curiosity getting the best of him, he leaned in close to the sleeping girl in hopes of understanding what she was trying to say. "Don't leave me…no…it's dark…please don't leave me," she whispered faintly then fell silent.

She was just having a dream. Zero doubted it was a good one but he shrugged it off and resumed getting dressed. He was tired and he wanted to sleep. Glancing around the room he tried to remember where he kicked off his shoes when Hunter started tossing and turning in her sleep, slight moans escaping her lips. Perspiration began to appear on her porcelain skin as her moves became more violent with each passing second.

"No, no, no…NO!" she screamed startling Zero. Hunter continued thrashing in her bed violently and screaming. Not knowing what to do, Zero tried to awake the girl from her nightmare but to no avail. Taking a wild look around the room as his mind scrambled for a solution that didn't involve waking the Chairman his violet eyes fell upon a bottle of pills. He picked up the bottle and realized they were prescription sleeping pills. There was no way she was going to wake up. "No!" Hunter cried out again, sending a strange wave of panic through Zero. He had absolutely no idea what to do and he couldn't bring himself to just leave her to her nightmares.

Hunter's body continued to convulse violently and arm hit the nightstand beside the bed, knocking an empty glass off, causing it to shatter on the wooden floors. In an instant Zero was at the bedside, holding down the girl's wrists to prevent her from hurting herself. The last thing he wanted was for her to bleed. He wouldn't be able to handle it.

The sweat was making her onyx hair stick to her face and her breathing was heavy and uneven. Looking down on her tortured face, Zero realized that this was the most emotion or anything he's seen come from Hunter since she first arrived at Cross Academy. When awake she's always quiet, indifferent and automated. This was completely the opposite. The girl's small body was suddenly raked by a sob as tears began forming at the corners of her eyes before cascading down her cheeks. "Shh…" he tried to coo but her tears weren't stopping. "No…" she barely whispered as more tears slid down her already wet face.

Her violent thrashing stopped and she curled into a fetal position as she continued crying in her sleep. "Shh…" he cooed as he gently brushed her sweat soaked hair away from her face. "Shh…it's okay, it's okay…" he whispered softly though he knew she couldn't hear him. Hunter seemed to be responding to his touch as she leaned into his hand that was brushing the hair away from her face.

Feeling his knees go numb from kneeling beside the bed, Zero groaned and climbed onto the bed, laying his body beside Hunter's, his hand never leaving her face. He continued to gently stroke her face, the simple action seemingly having a calming effect. Her sobs subsided and the tears stopped. She seemed to be sleeping calmly now so he began to slowly take his hand away from her face, but as soon as the touch was lost, Hunter let out a small noise of protest. Sighing, he placed his hand back where it was, but this time Hunter's own hand came up and she placed it atop his in order to keep him from taking it.

Hunter's hand felt unnaturally cold in comparison to Yuuki's. Zero smacked himself mentally. He had to quit comparing Yuuki and Hunter. They were two different people and complete opposites at that. Besides, he loved Yuuki – not Hunter. The tormented raven haired beauty before him was just a stranger, a stranger with a strange air about her. It sent tingles of anxiety and fear down his spine even though she looked as harmless as a fly. Zero knew there was nothing to be afraid of yet his instincts told him otherwise.

An image of Hunter's ice-blue eyes appeared in his mind. Beautiful, fragile, demented. Looking at her now calmly sleeping face he wished for those haunted eyes to open and look at him. He wanted to know why she made him so afraid. Extending his thumb he gently brushed it against her soft lips, their color reminding him of a pink rose. Then he caught his action. What the hell was he doing?

Feeling as if he had betrayed Yuuki, he jerked his hand away from Hunter's face and got off the bed, picking up the remains of his clothes off the floor. With one last glance at the sleeping girl he headed out the door, guilt riding his consciousness.

* * * * * * *


	3. First Revelation

**Author's Note: Another update today but that means nothing for a couple of days...maybe. I also updated When Worlds Collide today and I'm hoping to finish the next chapter for that story sometime this week. Oh yeah, if I made any horrible mistakes in this chapter - as in wrote a sentence that makes no sense whatsoever - let me know. Also at this point in the story, Zero's eyes are still on Yuuki only. Hunter's personality will develop soon and she won't be as boring. Don't worry, she's anything but your typical Mary-Sue. **

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-03: First Revelation-**

The classroom door opened and a young woman walked in adorned in the standard Day class uniform, her footfalls nearly silent against the hardwood floor. Her raven hair cascaded down past her shoulders like a waterfall of black oil, contrasting violently with her pale milky skin while her thick black lashes accentuated her icy-blue eyes that glistened like the stars surrounding a crescent moon.

Several gasps and murmurs erupted between the students as they eyed the newcomer with an interest, curious as to whom she may be. Making her way to the teacher, who stood at the podium, she handed him a sheet of paper. Scratching the back of his head, the instructor looked over the information then lifted his gaze at the seated students.

"We're on page fifty-four and take a seat by Kiriyuu," he said nonchalantly as he pointed to the silver-haired boy.

Giving him a small nod, the new student walked up the steps and took her respective seat. Several uneasy looks were sent towards her, seeing as Kiriyuu Zero was known to be not one of the friendliest of people and no one really sat next to him either.

Zero shifted uncomfortably when Hunter took her seat next to him. Why of all things did this have to happen? Remembering last night's events he eyed her from his peripheral vision. Just as expected she looked as if nothing had happened. No puffy red eyes from crying, no bruises from slamming her hand into the nightstand. Just the same emotionless eyes and blank expression. It was quite irritating actually. It really played on his nerves how she could sit there so nonchalantly when her very presence made the hairs on the back of his neck stand.

Yuuki glanced back at Zero and Hunter. They were sitting quietly with their usual expressions. How boring. Yori elbowed her gently. "Is that the new girl you were talking about last night?" she whispered. "Un," Yuuki replied, eyeing the teacher carefully so he didn't catch them talking. The class president was already pissed off at her enough as it is for bringing down their class average. "She's really pretty, she looks like she belongs in the night-class," Yori commented offhandedly as she jotted down some notes. The comment made Yuuki tense a little since Yori had no clue that the night-class students were actually vampires. Yet again, her friend was right. Hunter did look like she belonged in the night class.

Hunter's head hurt. She had the same dream again last night. The one where she's locked up in a dark cellar that reeks of blood and then chases that black silhouette. It's been reoccurring quite frequently. It was really confusing to think about. Damn did she need Michelle right now. She never even got the chance to ask where she was staying after the fire. Maybe she should ask Sister Katherine about it? Maybe some other time, right now the only thing she wanted to do was drill holes into her throbbing head. Hunter noticed that the doses for her sleep-aids were increased after that incident she had no recollection of. Personally, she didn't even want to take those sleeping pills. They made her drowsy all day and always left her brain in the clouds. Another frequent result was also those brain-killing headaches. Feeling rebellious, Hunter vowed not to take her medication this upcoming weekend. She wanted to rid herself of the cloudiness and the headaches at least for a couple of days.

With her ice-blue eyes like the ones of a Siberian husky, Hunter stared blankly at the board and made no effort to take notes. Not like studying the crap the teacher was talking about was going to get her anywhere. She felt Kiriyuu sit next to her tense like a guitar string tuned too tight, ready to snap if played. It was actually quite a common reaction she got from some people. The people that reacted in such way always had a certain scent about them and Zero had it too. Sighing mentally she looked out the window only to recoil as the sun painfully jabbed at her eyes. This was going to be a long day.

* * * * * * *

The day went by uneventfully yet Kiriyuu Zero couldn't help but feel as if there was a higher power out there trying to punish him. Or maybe the Chairman was playing some sort of sick joke on him. Hunter – the girl without a last name that looks like a freaking porcelain doll – was in half of his classes. And in all half of them the teachers made her sit next to him just because no one else would. Zero officially declared to himself that his life sucked. First his family got killed by some revenge-drunk psycho pureblood bitch that his brother brought home and the same bitch turned him into a vampire, then he had to fall in love with Yuuki who's in love with the pureblood bastard Kaname, and his only way from falling to a Level E is to drink the same bastard's blood, and if this wasn't bad enough now there's Hunter. The nonchalant mute whose presence keeps him walking on pins and needles. And what the hell was he thinking last night when he touched Hunter?!

Raking a trembling hand through his wild silver hair he threw his back against a tree and slumped to the ground, resting his arms on his knees. Maybe he should just let himself fall to Level E so then someone will put him out of his misery?

"What's wrong Kiriyuu, you seem awfully distressed…" said the voice he oh so loved to hate.

"That's none of your damn business," he replied venomously to Kaname. The vampire's eyebrow arched at him suspiciously. Was this low-life self-loathing himself again for drinking his precious Yuuki's blood? No, that wasn't it, he couldn't smell any blood. Ah well, Zero was always in a pissy mood to begin with. Kaname figured it'd be best to shrug it off and ask him what he intended to ask him in the first place.

"So who's this new student, Kiriyuu?" Kuran asked hoping the perfect knew. The Chairman had no obligation to inform him about the affairs regarding day-class students so he wasn't informed of the new student. But then again, that only pertained to humans and not _that_. He had no idea what the Chairman was trying to pull off by pretending _that_ was human. If the perfect didn't know he'd have to go confront Kaien himself.

Zero tensed at the question. What did Kaname want with Hunter? "Why the sudden interest in a day-class student?" he asked the pureblood thinking he should play this a bit. Pissing off Kaname was probably the only bright-side of his life.

The pureblood shrugged. "Just curious, it's not often we get so see new faces around here." Okay, so that was a bad cover up. Kaname knew Zero would catch this but he couldn't care less. He could kill this low-life with one blow. Much to his surprise Zero just gave him a blank look, "if you have any questions regarding her go ask the chairman himself," he said coolly, then got up and left.

* * * * * * * *

Kuran Kaname having an interest in a day-class student that wasn't Yuuki spelled bad news for Zero. After leaving the pureblood he decided to go check on Hunter to see if the bastard was going to do anything to her. However, when he reached her room, she wasn't there. Where could she be? It was dangerous for day-class students to be out after dark.

The scent of blood caught his nose. It was faint but there. Following the scent he found himself before the Chairman's office. What was that old man up to now? Pushing the door open his pupils shrunk back from the light. There, right before his eyes, was a naked girl with ridiculously long black hair. It was Hunter. She was sitting on a chair sideways, with nothing more but her long hair covering her chest and a towel around her waist. It was then he noticed the burns on her arms and back as the Chairman was applying some ointment on them.

"Ah, Kiriyuu-kun! What brings you here?" Kaien asked ignoring the fact that Zero was a guy and Hunter was a girl sitting there naked. The phone suddenly rang catching the headmaster's attention. Hurrying over, the ash-blond man answered the phone, "hello?"

Zero stared blankly at Hunter while she didn't even bother to look up at him. She just sat there, emotionlessly – like a doll. He found it annoying. "Kiriyuu-kun, can you please finish applying the ointment on Hunter-chan's back? I really have to take this call." Kaien said in his usual fatherly way.

Truthfully, he really didn't want to touch Hunter again, but the fact that she was sitting there naked and shivering he decided to cooperate for once. Picking up the tube of cream ointment he squeezed some out onto his fingers and began applying it to the burns. He felt Hunter tense under his touch so he eased the pressure and proceeded with much gentler strokes. Her burns were already scabbed over but still looked painful as some of them broke open letting blood seep through. The scent of her blood was intoxicating to his vampire side and he wanted to bite her but the fact that her presence stabbed needles in his back kept his fangs away.

Eyes glowing crimson red, he reached for a roll of fresh gauze. "Can you hold your hair?" he asked, his voice a bit hoarse. When she pulled her hair together she lifted both of her arms above her head in order to hold the hair and make it easy for him to bandage her wounds. Zero's face flushed a bit when he noticed for the first time how full her chest was. A knife of guilt stabbed his gut once more when he realized what he was thinking. Shaking his thoughts off he tenderly began wrapping her torso, making sure he wasn't pulling the gauze too tight.

Once her upper body was done, Zero moved onto her arms, tending to them with the same gentle touch. The scent of her blood was now less noticeable since the blood already dried and turned into fresh scabs, making it easier for him to go on. And all this while, Hunter sat there motionlessly like a doll. It baffled him how she wasn't embarrassed to be exposed. When he finished, she pulled the towel up around her body making it easier for him to look at her.

"Thanks," she said in a soft voice. The mute has spoken and her voice was the one of an angel's.

Zero gave her a small nod and heard the Chairman giggling like an old mother on the phone that just heard some juicy rumor. An angry tic appeared on his forehead. That bastard! He made him suffer through this just so he could gossip on the phone like some old hag?!

"I'll be taking my leave now…" Hunter said quietly as she pivoted and began heading for the door. "I'll walk you," Zero replied impulsively, then smacked himself mentally for saying that but there was no way he could back out of it now. Hunter's enchanting sapphires looked at him blankly as she stood there in nothing more but a small white towel and bandages. What was with this girl? He let out another mental sigh.

Zero walked up to Hunter and placed his hand on the small of her back, urging the doll-like girl forward as he opened the door for her. They stepped out of the Chairman's office and only managed to take one turn before Kiriyuu's shoulder rubbed against Kaname's. The two vampires instantly glared at each other and Zero's hand flew up to Hunter's lower back protectively. This little doll scared him and he didn't really like her but hell would freeze over before he would let Kaname touch her. He didn't like the way the pureblood looked at the girl.

Kuran Kaname smirked at what he saw, "excuse me," he said and resumed his walk to the Chairman's office.

* * * * * * *

"Alright, talk to you later, bye," Chairman Cross said as he hung up the phone and just then Kaname Kuran waltzed into his office. Judging by the vampire's aura he wasn't too happy.

"How come I wasn't notified about _that,_" Kuran said and Kaien already knew what "that" was.

All joking and laughter gone, Kaien looked up at Kaname with a serious expression that he rarely wore. "_That_ is nothing you should worry about." He told the pureblood though he knew that wasn't enough to appease the irritated noble.

Kaien Cross knew very well that he should have notified Kaname about Hunter but then again she wasn't a vampire so he wasn't obligated to do so. The pureblood placed his hands on the chairman's desk and looked down on the older man. "If I recall correctly, the purpose of this academy is to prove that vampires and humans can coexist peacefully," Kaname began, his voice even and confident, "but I do not recall bringing in any _werewolves_ into the mix," he finished enunciating the word "werewolves."

"Now, now, Hunter-chan isn't 'werewolf' as you put it. She's just a descendant of Fenrisúlfr, more commonly known as Fenrir the mighty wolf. After all, he did have two sons before the gods imprisoned him." Kaien replied calmly, trying to defend Hunter. Yet the fact that she was a descendant of one of the most powerful werewolf bloodlines really wasn't helpful.

Chairman Cross knew very well that vampires and werewolves never got along and their relations were worse than with humans. Werewolves were infamous for hunting down vampires and killing them in the most brutal ways imaginable, but Hunter was different from the usual werewolves. Most werewolves around now are usually what Level E vampires are because most of the purebloods are extinct. Pureblooded werewolves are almost impossible to meet.

Hunter on the other hand, was never turned into a werewolf; she was born one from one of the strongest bloodlines that ever existed. In the end she still wasn't a full-blooded werewolf. Unlike a pureblood she couldn't assume her true form – that being the form of a giant wolf, being bigger than a horse. The most Hunter was capable of was growing out long talons on call that were capable of unaccountable of damage to a vampire and more than likely a set of fangs. Other abilities the chairman suspected would be speed, flexibility, fast healing (as he's been witnessing on her burns), night vision, unbeatable sense of smell, and immense physical strength.

Feeling the vampire's eyes burn into his skin, Kaien looked up at him. "I have her contained, she's not even aware of what she is. Besides, she's still just a pup, not even a pureblood. There really isn't anything you need to be worried about." The Chairman reassured the vampire once more.

"If you say so," Kaname replied, though he still wasn't happy with the outcome of this conversation. Now he had to consider the x-factor that wasn't supposed to have appeared in his plans. He also doubted that Hunter was as harmless as the Chairman claimed her to be.


	4. An Evening of Thoughts

**Note: Yay, another chapter! Um yeah, not much happens here but this is pretty important in the development of the story. Thanks to all those who read and review. **

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-04: An Evening of Thoughts -**

"_Fate Loves a Rebel."_

-Arabian Proverb

There was not one single photograph or painting on the walls. The room itself was empty and neat like a hotel room. The only sign of residence was the black duffel bag thrown haphazardly in the corner and the messed up covers on the bed. This bare room was also Hunter's. The girl in question silently walked into the room, her boot-clad feet gently padding against the seemingly ancient hardwood floors. She kicked off her boots and collapsed onto the messy bed. Today was Friday – the day she felt was never going to come.

The week dragged through uneventfully for Hunter seeing as she had no intentions of making any friends. She figured that sooner or later she was going to end up back in an orphanage until her eighteenth birthday, which was roughly two or so years away. The nuns at St. Margaret's Orphanage consider October 13th as her birthday because that was the day that a forest ranger found her dumped like trash at one of his posts. It was also the ranger who named her Hunter. From what Sister Katherine told her, the ranger had no clue that she was a girl. Hence the masculine name.

Speaking of friends though, Hunter noticed Yuuki's attempts at casual conversations in hopes of befriending her. She didn't dislike Yuuki or anything; she just found no reason in being friends with her. Other girls attempted the same thing and some boys were brave enough to talk to her as well.

A small sigh escaped her lips. _And then there's Zero…_she thought as the image of the silver haired boy appeared in her mind. His behavior perplexed her. Whenever she sat by him in class or even brushed against his arm in a crowded hallway his body would tense. He seemed to be repelled by her presence as if she was some walking disease. Just like the _Black Death_…

Another thing she found confusing was the way Zero smelled. He carried the same scent the night-class students did but no one else in the day-class had it. Hunter knew the scent and she could remember Sister Katherine telling her to beware of people with it. Yet she couldn't remember what that scent meant.

The night-class students were also a headache. What made them so special that they had to be separated from regular day-class students? And that guy – Kaname Kuran – he reminded her of some old creepy perverted man, especially when he looked at Yuuki. A shiver of disgust ran through her body.

Averting her eyes from the bland ceiling, she refocused her sight on the setting sun. The orange rays weakly crept into her room through the window, illuminating its darkness with a warm glow. Rolling over, Hunter pulled her legs onto the bed and curled up on her side, slightly wincing from the sudden movement that put pressure on her burns. Her wounds were healing nicely and Chairman Cross said that soon she won't need bandages. It was probably the only good news she's heard since she arrived at Cross Academy.

A yawn dared to escape her mouth. Hunter still felt drowsy and clouded from her pills. That's why she vowed not to take any tonight. Nope, she was going to sleep off the remains of the medications and not take another pill until Sunday night. If things go well, she figured she could slowly ease herself off the heavy medications and not have to take them any longer.

Hunter's eyes closed as the need for rest washed over her. Tomorrow she hoped to ask the Chairman to let her go to the nearby town. Sister Katherine left her with some money to buy herself civilian clothes since all the ones she owned were lost in the fire. _Yes, tomorrow_…she thought as her mind drifted off into the deep world of dreams.

* * * * * * *

"Yuuki! Kiriyuu-kun! Dinner time!" Chairman cross called cheerfully while adorned in a pink apron. "Oh yeah, Zero-kun, why won't you go invite Hunter-chan for dinner too?" the ash-blond man asked. It really wasn't a question but an order.

"Have Yuuki go do it," the teen replied bluntly, not caring what the old man thought.

Yuuki looked at Zero then at Chairman Cross, then smiled. "Okay, I'll go get her." She said then headed towards Hunter's room humming to herself. She wanted to make Hunter feel welcome and this was a good opportunity to do so. If Zero would have gone to get her, knowing how rude he tends to be, Hunter would probably flat out refuse. That was another reason why she agreed to go get Hunter.

When she reached Hunter's room she listened for any noise on the other side of the door. Hearing none, her knuckles gently rapped on the wooden door. "Hunter-san? Are you in there?" she called out but got no answer. Slowly twisting the doorknob, the old door hinges creaked in protest as Yuuki applied gentle pressure to push them open. "Hunter-san?" she called out gently again but received no answer. The room was dark, washed in the silver light of the moon. She then noticed Hunter sleeping.

The girl's moon-washed skin was a pure white and her raven hair was haphazardly sprawled around her head. She looked peaceful – nothing like she has ever seen her. To preserve this image, Yuuki didn't dare to disturb Hunter from her dreams and quietly tiptoed out of the room.

* * * * * * *

The heavy atmosphere hung above the dining table like a dark storm cloud ready to burst and rain down. It was quite natural whenever Kaien Cross along with his adopted daughter Yuuki and Zero sat down to "enjoy a family dinner." Only the scrapes of forks and knives filled the silence of the room.

"So…" Kaien began as he swallowed his food, "how's school, Yuuki?" he asked the small brunette, knowing that he's more likely to get an answer from her than the stiff next to her.

"Alwight," Yuuki said with a mouth full of food. "Don't talk with your mouth full!" Cross scolded her while holding his fork up threateningly. "Sorry…" she apologized after swallowing.

"Idiots…" Zero murmured under his nose as he was ready to push his almost finished plate away. "Don't you dare walk away without finishing your food! I worked hard to cook this dinner!" Kaien yelled at Zero like an angry mother would yell at her child. Though with that long hair and silly pink apron, Chairman Cross really wasn't far from looking like one.

"Great, now I have to worry about food poisoning," Zero muttered knowing this would push the old man's buttons. It's not as if he disliked the Chairman's cooking – it was quite good actually – he just didn't want him to know that. "Why you – !"

"Calm down you two…" Yuuki said as she continued to eat her food. Her job was usually the peacemaker between the two men. Zero pushed his plate away and sipped on some water while the Chairman resumed his meal. "Hey, Kiriyuu-kun, how's Hunter-chan doing?" Kaien asked without looking up from his food.

Zero tensed at the question. The Chairman has been frequently asking him about Hunter as if he actually gave a damn about that girl. He placed the glass of water down on the table, "I don't know I haven't been paying any attention to her." _Liar!_

"Ah, I see, what about you Yuuki, do you think she's fitting in fine?" Kaien redirected his question skillfully, though he originally intended to have Kiriyuu watch over the wolf for him.

Yuuki swallowed her food. "She's doing okay, though she's a bit antisocial. I haven't seen Hunter-san really talk to anyone." She said thoughtfully.

"I see…well considering what she went through I'm sure it'll take some time for her to recuperate." The Headmaster said as sincerely as he could. In reality he was worried about keeping Hunter's wolf side in control to prevent any unnecessary misadventures.

"Why don't you just get a better hobby?" Zero said, feeling as if the Chairman was hiding something from them, and that something being the reason behind all his inquiry about the girl.

"Zero! That's mean!" Yuuki cut in. The older boy shrugged nonchalantly, his eyes not leaving the Chairman. He wanted to know what the old man was hiding. Especially since there was something off about Hunter. He had to be a complete idiot not to notice that the air about her felt differently from everyone else in the day-class. Then there was the fact that he always got uneasy and anxious around her. He could go as far as accusing her of not being human.

The Chairman didn't waver under the vampire's penetrating stare. "Hunter-chan was brought here by a very good friend of mine. I'm just trying to do my best to make her feel comfortable. Besides, she is a very sweet girl and deserves better." That was half the truth. Kaien felt bad for not telling Yuuki and Zero the whole truth. He was going to tell them one day, but that day wasn't tonight.

Zero wanted to scoff at the Chairman's reply. Sweet girl? Who is he trying to fool? That girl was as emotionless and as animated as a doll. Whatever the Chairman was hiding, he was going to find out sooner or later.

* * * * * * * *

Kaien Cross furrowed his brows as he flipped to another page. The musky smell of the ancient volume filled the air around it with each turn of a page. "_To slow the transformation the seal must be made upon the bite mark_…hn, she doesn't have a bite mark…" he muttered to himself as he closed the book then picked up another one. Tracing a long graceful finger along the index his eyes were looking for one specific word: werewolves.

"Vampire, vanara, vântoase, vârkolak…oh that might be it. Let's see…._Romanian wolf demon…other legends say it's a ghost or vampire…emerges from the corpses of babies_. No definitely not it." A tired sigh escaped Kaien's lips as he flipped through the book to look under W.

When his finger fell upon the keyword "werewolf" he skimmed through the passage looking for anything helpful. Unfortunately the listed kinds of werewolves didn't match up to what Hunter was. Scratching his head thoughtfully he raked his brain for ideas. Hunter was a wolf – but she wasn't bitten or cursed therefore this was going to be a bit difficult. Her being any kind of "were" was already troublesome, seeing as lycans were typically unaffected by the things that vampires were. Creating a seal like Zero's on Hunter's neck would pretty much be a waste of time. It'd be nothing more but a decorative tattoo.

"_We really thought she was just an abandoned human child…until we saw __that__ mark…"_ Sister Katherine's voice rang in his mind. "Ah, that's right…" Chairman voiced to himself as he remembered the most crucial part about what Hunter really was. As a descendant of Fenrir's sons, the magic that was used to seal Fenrir himself could as well work on Hunter. They have same blood after all.

Back tracking in the thick book, his eyes scanned for a passage on the Fenris wolf. "Here we go," he said as a small flame of hope began burning within him. "_The dwarfs crafted a silk ribbon made of six elements: the sound of a cat's footfall, the beard of a woman, the roots of a mountain, the sinews of a bear, the breath of a fish and the spittle of a bird_…" He skipped through some text, "…_creating the Gleipnir, a binding as thin as a silken ribbon and stronger than any iron chain. _That's ridiculous!" He said to himself. There's no way he can recreate that. Fish don't breathe and birds don't drool. It was impossible, yet he decided to read on. "_The dwarfs created the Gleipnir in __Svartálfheimr, an underground domain of the black elves."_

Kaien scratched his head once more. Right now vampires sounded so much easier to deal with. If he could only tame Hunter as easily as he had Yuuki tame Zero. If he could get his hands on Gleipnir or something like it he'd be a much happier man. Then Sister Katherine came to his mind. That's it!

Picking up the phone he dialed the nun's number knowing very well that she'd answer regardless of what time it was. The phone rang once….twice…"Sister Katherine speaking…" the woman answered after the third ring. "Ah Katherine! This is Kaien Cross, do you have a minute?" he asked her in his usual manner.


	5. Good Day Gone Wrong

**Note: A chapter almost entirely devoted to Hunter. Yay. So far there isn't too much Hunter-Zero interaction but no worries, that'll change soon. I got lots in store for them. **

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-05: Good Day Gone Wrong -**

"_Outside a sheep, inside a wolf." _

– Greek Proverb

Hunter eyed her figure in the full length mirror, her body adorned in nothing more but black lace undergarments. Black lace and creamy white skin – an image that is both classy and erotic. The detailed design of the lace depicted wild roses stitched boldly and it looked quite dashing against her white skin.

The pushup bra gave her a natural looking lift and the boy-short style panties accentuated the perkiness off her butt. Michelle always said that every woman should own a pair of lace underwear. Today Hunter was wearing it.

Walking up closer to the mirror, she checked out her makeup. It consisted of black mascara that accentuated her Husky-like eyes and light pink lip gloss that only enhanced the natural color of her lips. Hunter was never the type to wear loads of makeup. Sometimes little was more than enough. A content sigh escaped her mouth. With one more glance at her full body she examined the healing burns and was pleased to see that they're not scarring as badly as the doctors predicted.

But this was no time to be checking herself out. It was Saturday morning and she had to get dressed to see the Headmaster. Walking to the other side of the room, her bare feet made no noise as they padded against the hardwood floor. With a small soft hand she picked up the duffel bag that was in the corner and set it on the bed. Browsing through its contents, she picked out a pair of black thigh high socks, a short grey flared skirt with a black trim and an off-the-shoulder black sweater.

The sweater snugly fit her hourglass figure and the flared skirt accentuated her hips. Twirling around, her long raven hair picked up altitude then cascaded down in smooth waves. For some reason Hunter felt like looking good. She hasn't felt that need since she started taking her medication. With a swift motion, she ran both of her hands through her hair, capturing the wild strands then skillfully twisting them into a messy bun. It's been a very long time since she's done her hair. As a final touch, she put a thin black satin choker around her neck. Satisfied, Hunter slid on her high heeled boots she first arrived in and headed out the door.

* * * * * * * *

A knock echoed in the Chairman's office. "Come in," he said without looking up from his paperwork. The door opened slowly and Hunter walked in. "Good morning Chairman Cross," she greeted politely giving him a small curtsy. "Ah, mornin' Hunter-chan! Please, no need for formalities." The ash-blond man greeted cheerfully in return. He knew that the curtsy was a requirement at St. Margaret's Orphanage but this was Cross Academy.

"What brings you here this early, dear?" He asked her with his usual friendliness. "I-I'd like to go out to town and buy some things...if that's okay…" Hunter replied, making sure her request didn't sound like a bratty demand. Feigning innocence was her speciality. "Oh," Kaien said as he leaned back in his seat. Letting Hunter go off the academy's premises was quite risky but then again, he couldn't just keep her locked up like a prisoner. "Okay, but under one condition." He finally said as he returned to his former position, this time resting his elbows on the desk. Hunter looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Yes?"

"Ask Zero-kun to go with you and tell him that I sent you."

* * * * * * *

The cool autumn breeze caressed her ivory skin and danced with loose strands of her hair. Taking in a deep breath, Hunter closed her eyes and let her senses bask in everything that made fall what it was. When the Chairman told her to ask Zero to come with she agreed, but had no intentions of keeping her word. The silver-haired teen gave her the obvious vibes of dislike so she didn't want to bother him. His everlasting cranky mood would just ruin her time in town.

Now the town was in sight and a small smile appeared on her glossed lips. Yes, she was going to have fun.

* * * * * *

There were many people bustling about the main streets, cars made their way through the narrow cobblestone streets and street vendors were busy selling their products. The whole town had an old European charm to it. Hunter liked it because it reminded her of the shopping trips she used to take with Michelle back at the orphanage. She could still remember Sister Katherine yelling at them whenever they would wander off too far.

Instinctively, she made her way to the sweets vendor and bought a cherry lollipop. Now she was ready to go buy some clothes. Popping the candy into her mouth, Hunter walked into the first shop she found interesting. After skimming through the first shop she purchased a few items she liked then moved on to other stores.

An hour later, one of her arms was beginning to feel the load of all her purchases. Hunter was having fun as she went from shop to shop. She also enjoyed interacting with all the different people she came across. "Ooh, this looks interesting…" she said to herself as she read the spine of a book titled _Book of Lies_ by Aleister Crowley. Taking the book off the shelf she flipped through a few pages, her eyes scanning the printed words. She found the dark poetry to her liking and decided to buy the book.

Outside the bookshop, Hunter looked at the sun in the sky. Judging by its position she guessed it must be way past noon. Sighing, she hated to admit it but it was time to head back to the academy. She was gone all day.

Walking back, Hunter thought over her day. Having spent most of the money that Sister Katherine left her with she was broke but had some new clothes and accessories along with a book she wanted to read. At least she spent that money towards something useful.

"Excuse me…" a child's voice said. Hunter looked down at the child, "yes?" she asked politely. "M-my kitten ran off into this old building and now he won't come out…can you get him for me?" the little boy asked as he fumbled with his fingers. "Okay…" Hunter said, though she really didn't want to help the kid that had the same scent as Zero and the night-class, but what the hell? A good deed wasn't going to kill her, right?

Hunter followed the little boy to an old and abandoned building. "He ran in there…" the boy said pointing at the building. _Damn…that doesn't even look safe…_she thought as she eyed the crumbled walls and large chunks of broken concrete. A bad feeling brewed in the pit of her stomach but there was no way she was going to chicken out in front of a kid. _Ah screw it, here we go…_

The tiny concrete pebbles and dirt crunched under her heels as she gracefully walked into the collapsing structure. All senses on alert, her pupils dialed in the darkened environment. Walking in further, she called out, "here kitty, kitty…" but heard no meow to let her know where the kitten was. Not seeing or hearing the kitten on the first floor, Hunter made her way up to the second floor, but there were no signs of the cat.

_Where the hell is that damn fur ball?_ She growled mentally as she looked around for the cat among the old ruins. A soft sound of movement sounded behind her. "A-ha! There you are – " she said in victory and spun around but instead of a kitten she saw a full grown man with red glowing eyes and fangs protruding from his mouth. "What the hell – ?" she asked but couldn't finish as the man caught her by the throat with lightning fast speed, pinning her much smaller body against a rough wall. Her face twisting in agony that tore through her body.

Gasping for air, Hunter struggled as she lifted her legs up and went to kick the man away. Much to her demise he merely sidestepped her counterattack and pressed harder onto her trachea, blocking the air from her lungs. _Fuck!_ Hunter cursed as she struggled to free herself from the vampire's vice-like grip.

Yet no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't set herself free.

With no air, Hunter felt her consciousness fading into darkness.

* * * * * * *

"I really hate hunting Level E's…." Aido grumbled childishly as he followed Kain. The taller vampire said nothing so Hanabusa Aido continued to whine. "Seriously, why do we have to do it? Why can't Shiki and Rima do it like they always do? I'm nocturnal – I hate being out during the daytime!"

"Shh –"Kain suddenly said, silencing Aido. "Don't 'shh' me!" the shorter blonde protested but Kain's index finger flew up to his lips, telling Aido to be quiet. He then motioned his head towards an old collapsing building. "The Level-E is in there with someone else." Kain said as he resumed walking.

When the two vampires reached the compound, Aido's eyes widened when he saw the new girl getting pinned against a wall by a Level-E. Kain saw that Hanabusa was getting ready to kill the crazed vampire to save the girl but there was no need. He pulled his arm out in front of Aido, "hold on, let's watch this."

"Are you crazy? She's going to get killed!" Hanabusa argued not understanding Kain's reasoning. The vampire shook his head, "just watch and you'll understand." Akatsuki Kain was a very perceptive man and he knew from the very start that this girl was no human. Besides, he wanted to see if she could handle a Level-E.

Listening to his friend, Aido watched anxiously as the life faded from Hunter's ice-blue eyes. She was going to die, he was sure.

Then the unexpected happened.

A low threatening growl erupted from the depths of the girl's body, its ferocity sending shivers down the backs of both purebloods. The Level-E looked at the girl confused. Beginning to feel frightened, he let go of her throat and stepped back.

When Hunter's eyes opened they were infuriated and swirling silver. The Level-E was now really scared but the blood lust overrode common sense. He hissed at her then lunged forward baring his fangs that were ready to sink into the girl's flesh. Kain and Aido watched from the sidelines as Hunter raised her arm in front of her, allowing the berserk vampire to bite into it. The sounds of sucking echoed within the walls and the smell of blood made the two vampires want to have a taste as well.

The Level-E continued drinking Hunter's blood, making Kain and Aido think that it might actually kill her this time. But just as they thought that they were going to have to step in, a smile spread across the girl's face, showing off a set of her own canine fangs. "You disgust me," she said in a murderous voice. Then with one swing of the arm from which the vampire was feeding, she threw it into the wall she was leaning against, her arm still in the vampire's mouth. The force of her attack being so great, that the Level-E's skull shattered upon contact with the concrete wall. It was an instant kill.

"Holy –!" Aido said bewildered.

It was over and she felt tired, really tired. It didn't take long for her world to begin fading once more. "Take care of that other Level-E," Kain ordered Aido and the blonde vampire disappeared.

Watching Hunter's legs give out from underneath her, Kain ran to her side and caught her before her head could hit the ground then scooped her up bridal style. Hunter's unconscious form slumped against Kain's body and her head rested against his chest. The girl's sleeping face looked serene and nothing like the ferocious beast they just saw kill the Level-E vampire. It intrigued Kain. To think that her kind still existed – that he was holding one in his arms. It was thrilling. Before vampires and humans there were different kinds of gods and mythical creatures that walked this very planet. Werewolves were one of those creatures. Powerful, fast, and deadly, they hunted in packs and no matter how large their prey was they always brought it down. They were the ultimate hunters. The best of the best.

Hunter was also a special case. If Kain was right, there should be a mark behind her right ear. Kneeling down on one knee, Kain supported Hunter's upper body with his other leg while he turned her head and moved her hair to check for the mark. Sure enough there it was – the small tribal design behind her ear, indicating that she's a descendant of the _mighty wolf_. The beast that gods themselves feared. Satisfied with his findings, Kain lifted her up once more and let her head rest against his chest.

Aido returned few seconds later, "I took care of it," he said.

"Just as I thought…" he said more to himself than Aido who was still in shock after witnessing a bit of the wolf's power. "H-how's that possible?" Aido asked, "She's not a vampire."

Kain looked down at Hunter. "No, she's something else…far more dangerous than a vampire." He said as he smiled down on Hunter's unconscious face. "Anyway, grab her things and let's head back to the academy. Her wounds need to be tended to."

Aido grabbed the shopping bags without any protests and followed Kain wondering what his friend meant by Hunter being _more dangerous than a vampire_.


	6. Second Revelation

**Note****: Ah, once again I'm pretty sure I left too many things vague and up for interpretation. Okay, I'm really thankful to flaming-amber for pointing out my mistakes. I was just going with the vampire hierarchy I figured from reading VK. I did also correct that Kaien – Kain thing. Blame the spell check. There is also a reason why I'm using Kain. Partially for his perceptive personality…you'll find out the true reason later in the story.**

**I'm also aware that there is confusion around why Hunter's species is "more dangerous than a vampire." I'll explain it in the story. Right now the main key as to why it is so is because I associated her with Fenrir/Fenris. If anyone's familiar with that Old Norse myth they'd know who Fenrir was. But I'm also taking into account that not everyone is a mythology freak like me so I'll be explaining who and what Fenrir was and why being a descendant of him is being dangerous. I also forgot to mention that "werewolves" as in Hunter's kind were in existence ****before**** humans and vampires and why they are extinct now for the most part. That will be also explained in the story. **

**I'm not going with the stereotypical notion of what we think of werewolves now. I'm using the old pre-Hollywood idea of what those beings were. I'm also combining the actual traits of the wolves we have in existence today. I hope that clears things up. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-06: Second Revelation -**

_Othin spake:__  
46. "Much have I fared, | much have I found,  
Much have I got of the gods:  
Whence comes the sun | to the smooth sky back,  
When Fenrir has snatched it forth?"_

_Vafthruthnir spake:__  
47. "A daughter bright | Alfrothul bears  
Ere Fenrir snatches her forth;  
Her mother's paths | shall the maiden tread  
When the gods to death have gone."_

– The Ballad of Vafthruthnir (Vafthruthnismol), The Poetic Edda

Knuckles rapped on the wooden door. "Come in," said the Chairman, not looking up from his busy work. When the visitor came in, the blonde man's eyes lifted. "I have a package for you from Sister Katherine," the visitor said. "Ah yes," Kaien said pleased that it arrived so quickly. He had consulted the nun the previous night indeed, in regards of a little problem named Hunter.

The delivery man walked up to the wooden desk, placing the package upon its surface. "Thank you," the chairman said, "that'll be all." The man gave him a small bow and excused himself. "Now, let's see what we have here…" Kaien said to himself as he reached out to the package. _We're forbidden to talk about other gods…but I can send you some things that may be helpful…_the woman's voice sounded in his head. He opened the package and before him was a stack of books: The Codex Regius, The Legend of Hati and Sköll, and Prose Edda. Judging by how thick two out of the three volumes were, he had plenty of reading to do. Thinking his best bet would be the thinnest book for now, he picked the Legend of Hati and Sköll by David E. Wolf.

"_Hush now, for it was foretold by Norsemen ages ago. The wolves Hati and Sköll chase the sun and the moon across the heavens each day, but it shall not always be so. The time of Ragnarok will come, the time of the Gotterdammerung, when the world shall be plunged into a winter as it has never known. This is the Fimbulvert. There shall be three such endless winters, winters of unspeakable cold that will freeze the hearts of men and gods alike, for this is the beginning of the end. The wolf Sköll shall devour the sun and his brother Hati, the moon. The world will know no light. Yet, there is a wolf still more terrible, and he is called Fenrir."_

"That's interesting…" Kaien thought as he glanced at the other books. A small note caught his eye. Picking the piece of paper, he noticed it had Sister Katherine's handwriting on it.

_"Dear Kaien,_

_I'm sorry I couldn't talk more about Hunter last night. Here at the convent we're supposed to revere only God, if you know what I mean. Most of the world is oblivious to the existence of other creatures other than what they know. Here I'm sending you three books that might be helpful. Just as a clarification, Fenrir had sons and the two most known ones were Hati and Sköll. Hunter is a descendant of their bloodline. I don't know how pure her blood is, yet you know what will happen if this goes public. Everyone's so afraid of Ragnarok that they're willing to kill anything that has Fenrir's blood. No wolf from the Fenrir bloodline should have been left alive. Anyway, I hope this helps. Until next time,_

_Sister Katherine"_

Kaien Cross read the note twice. Ragnarok – what was that? Apparently another term he wasn't familiar with. Yet he knew one thing, and that was Hunter's bloodline. Since Fenrir was imprisoned by the gods, Hati and Sköll were still free, doing their thing of chasing the moon and the sun. He didn't know how true this whole myth was, but the fact that Hunter was there as a descendant it did have to have some truth to it. Now the million dollar question – which of the two wolves did she originate from? Was her blood just a mix of wolf and human or was the other half something else?

As he was contemplating the different possibilities, his office door burst open and two vampires rushed in. He recognized the first one as Aido Hanabusa and the one behind him as Akatsuki Kain. "Chairman!" Aido suddenly said as he moved aside, now revealing an unconscious Hunter in Kain's arms. "What happened?!" he asked the vampires as he rushed out of his seat, dropping the books and knocking some papers off his desk.

"She was attacked by a Level-E," Kain said with a calm face, though the blood from Hunter's arm was dripping down onto his pants, staining them crimson. "Oh my, place her here on the sofa," the Chairman instructed as he shuffled about for first aid supplies. Kain did as he was told to and Aido placed the bags by the door. "Where was Kiriyuu when this happened?" Kaien asked as he poured some hot water into a bowl and got a rag. "He wasn't there," Aido answered, but he realized that he should have kept his mouth shut when he saw the Headmaster's face. "What? I specifically said that they were supposed to go together–"he stopped mid sentence and looked down at Hunter. She didn't ask Zero to go with her did she?

Kiriyuu Zero might be moody and rude but he wasn't disobedient. Sister Katherine did warn him that Hunter was a troublemaker as well. "Aido-san get Zero for me," he ordered then knelt down beside the sofa to clean Hunter's bloodied arm. The door closed behind Aido and soon his footsteps faded. "Can you change the water for me, Akatsuki-san?" the headmaster asked the vampire. Kain took the blood-stained bowl and emptied it in the bathroom sink. The scent of blood excited him but he knew he couldn't taste it. It was a forbidden fruit after all. Such cruel is the fate of a vampire.

When he returned he saw the Headmaster still where he was, with the bloodied rag in his hands, applying pressure to the wound. "Thank you," the blonde man said as Kain placed the bowl back down beside him. "Tell me one thing Kain…" the Chairman began, "did anything strange happen?"

Kain knew what the Chairman was asking – did Hunter go psycho. "She killed the Level-E." He answered honestly. No need to lie.

The vampire's answer confirmed Kaien's worst fears. Hunter's wolf side was beginning to surface and that was the last thing he wanted to happen. It's one thing when the person in question is a pureblooded wolf, a cursed werewolf, a demigod in the form of a wolf, or a demon. It's another when you're a human with the blood of a demigod wolf. He knew that Hunter wasn't going to remember an ounce of what she did when the beast took over.

Chairman Cross sighed as he continued to clean Hunter's wound. He knew very well that her kind was feared by all who could remember when werewolf packs used to roam the forests. Humans had their obvious reasons to fear wolves but because of Fenrir even the gods feared them.

Humans and gods aside, vampires had their own reasons to fear the wolf, depending on the werewolf's lineage, of course. A mere turned werewolf, also known as the beta, was never more dangerous than a Level-E vampire. An alpha werewolf on the other hand – that's where the true fear lied. Legends say that weres possessed extreme strength and remarkable fighting abilities. Some stories even said that a werewolf could tear a person's head off with just one quick bite. With its powerful jaws and claws the werewolf was always a vampire's doom in a close combat situation.

In the end the gods made sure to hunt down just about all the werewolves. All that's left are the human-werewolf hybrids like Hunter, or at least he thought she was. Even those are hard to come by. It really is true that we fear what we don't know and destroy what we fear.

Kain watched the Headmaster's contemplative face. He heard him sigh several times and judging by his expression he could guess what the man was thinking about. "How much do you know about werewolves, Akatsuki-san?" the blonde man suddenly asked him. "Just what my grandmother told me. I personally find them interesting," he replied.

"So you know that Hunter is a werewolf…" Headmaster Cross stated more to himself than Kain. "Yeah, I was surprised to find out she was of the Fenrir bloodline though. Grandmother told me that the gods slay them all."

Chairman nodded at the vampire's words. Hunter's ancestors were very much extinct. However, her existence defies that belief. Another tired sigh escaped his lips. "Let's keep this between us, alright?"

Kain gave him a nod of agreement. He was fascinated by this supposed-to-be-extinct creature and wanted to get to know her more. It was nothing romantic. He was just genuinely interested in learning more about a creature like her. Who wouldn't be after hearing all those legends about how terrifying the werewolves were?

"She's supposed to be a descendant from one of Fenrir's sons…" Chairman Cross said offhandedly, seemingly more to himself than to Kain. "Aa, judging by that mark behind her ear I'd say she's from Hati – the one that chases the moon." Kain said though he wasn't sure if the Headmaster knew already or not.

Kaien was surprised that the vampire already figured it out. Pulling out some fresh gauze, he gave Kain a small nod and wrapped Hunter's arm. "She's at a difficult time right now. They say that born weres start transforming for the first time around seventeen-eighteen years old…she's right at that mark." Another sigh escaped him. What was he going to do? Come next full moon and Hunter might change.

First of all, he had to tell Hunter what she is as soon as the time was right. He also had to take into account that no one knows how pure her blood is. The higher the purity content the fuller the transformation – she might just grow out a tail and some ears if she's a half or she might completely turn into an oversized wolf if she's 80-100% pure.

He finished bandaging her arm and stood up. Looking down at her he scratched his head. "I have no clue what to do with her – vampires are so much easier to deal with."

The office door opened before Kain could reply. Aido and Zero came walking in, the latter looking quite agitated. "Ah, Aido-san, Zero-kun!" The Chairman greeted returning to his usual self, his personality doing a one-eighty within seconds. "Thank you Aido-san," he said, "now Zero-kun, did Hunter-chan ever ask you to go to town with her?"

Zero eyed him suspiciously. "No," he replied bluntly. It was true, in fact he hasn't seen her since Friday once classes ended, which he was thankful for. "Why does it stink like blood in here?" he finally asked, feeling as if this was some sick joke they were trying to pull on him, just because he wasn't born a vampire. Not like he ever wanted to be one in the first place.

"Hunter was attacked by a Level-E in town earlier today." Kain answered just as bluntly as Zero asked the question. The two vampires stared at each other, the tension in the air rapidly gaining weight. "Ah, my, my," Kaien said trying to ease the tension. "It's okay, Hunter-chan just didn't ask him to come with," he added waving his hand dismissively trying to change the subject. "From now on you just won't let her out of your sight Zero-kun."

Zero glared at the Chairman. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice icy.

"Because she's a born werewolf and she's reached the age where she's beginning her first transformation, that's why." Kain said as if it was obvious. Well, maybe to some. "What?" Aido asked out of confusion. "Since when is she a werewolf? Aren't those things extinct? Didn't the gods kill them all thousands of years ago because they thought they would help that one big wolf kill them?"

"Yare, yare….this is a mess." The Chairman said. He was hoping to keep this a secret but looks like it couldn't be helped. "How about I explain it over some tea, hm?"

* * * * * * *

His violet eyes looked up at the dark night sky. _A werewolf, huh?_ He thought to himself. That's why she made the hairs on the back of his neck stand. First vampires, now werewolves – what else was he going to have to deal with? Originally he just had to keep the existence of the vampire race a secret. Now he has to keep the existence of a single werewolf secret from most vampires and all humans.

Chairman Cross made him, along with Kain and Aido, swear upon their lives to not reveal Hunter's true identity to anyone. He couldn't even tell that to Yuuki. Not until there was a way to tame the beast within her.

"_If this goes public, she might be killed…"_

What did it have to do with him? Why does he have to watch her 24/7? Oh yeah, because he's a vampire he's strong enough to hold his ground if she ever snaps. Or at least that's what they told him, though he personally believed that they were just using him as the sacrificial goat because he's only a Level-D vampire.

Zero grunted with annoyance. As if watching some werewolf pup was what he really needed. _Yeah, right…_

* * *

**This chapter was confusing. Lots of information so I'll clear it up here if some of you didn't get it. **

**1. Fenrir is a HUGE wolf of the Old Norse mythology that is destined to bring Ragnarok. Because of that the gods had some dwarves make a binding that was strong enough to hold him. It's called the Gleipnir and it's pretty much a thin silk ribbon. In other words when the time comes he's supposed to break free from his binds and kill the gods and all the chaos and destruction (started by him) is to bring "the end of the world" but two humans are to survive and repopulate the new world without gods and such. **

**2. Fenrir had 2 sons: Hati and Skoll. Hati chases the moon and Skoll chases the sun. Hunter is a descendant of Hati. The identifying mark is behind Hunter's ear and it's a tribal style crescent moon. It's small and unnoticable. **

**3. ONLY IN MY STORY (not actual myth) - The gods feared their fate and because of that fear killed all the werewolves they suspected of being related to Fenrir under the excuse that they'll help him bring about their death. As a result 99% of the werewolf population was destroyed even if the wolves weren't from the Fenrir bloodline. It happened BEFORE the vampire culture became dominant. **

**4. As far as I'm concerned Kain doesn't have a grandmother in the manga or anime but in my story I made him one. She's dead anyway. It's only to solidify his purpose in my story. **

**5. There is a reason why I'm having Zero, Kain and Aido team up. You'll find out later why.**

**6. I know this story sounds serious right now and not like a romance at all but that will change. I'm just sticking to the characters and creating development. We all know that Zero isn't this lovey dovey I'll fall in love with you at first sight kind of character so it'll be a while before there will be any romantic development. **

**After all this is about HANDGUNS and SECOND CHANCES. **


	7. My Vampire Knights

**Note: I'm glad to know people are liking this story. I never thought it'd be this popular. And as for your questions, flaming-amber, here are my answers:**

**1. If they're 'gods' then why would they need to be afraid? - I honestly don't know. That's just what the myth says. According to myth, a prophecy said that Fenrir was going to kill the gods one day, and the gods couldn't kill him because that'd anger his father Loki (who is also a god) so they just tied him up. From what I gathered from the myth, I think they're afraid of Fenrir (and his bloodline) because he's destined to kill them and that'll happen sooner or later. They're just trying to put it off I guess. The whole "if they're gods" well, think of Roman and Greek mythology - those gods weren't immortal either and could die by the hands of another god. Fenrir is a god, his sons are demigods. **

**2. Do these 'gods' still exist in the same timeline - not that I'm aware of, heh. The only purpose these gods have in my story is to create a background about Hunter's bloodline. The way my characters think of those gods is the same way we think of Zeus, God, and Allah. Some believe they're around, some think it's just a bunch of BS. **

**3. And if so, does that mean they are also tracking the development of vampire society? - in Norse mythology there's more talk about wolves than vampires. Culturally and historically when you look at Europe the vampire myths began more in the Slovak-based areas like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania etc. Norse mythology generally pretains to Scandinavia - like Norway, Sweden, Finland etc. The areas are both close, but for the purpose for this story, and as a logical explanation, let's just say that the gods weren't concerned with the vampires. They weren't on their "turf." It's just like the Greek pantheon had their Greece, Allah is worshipped in the middle east, and the Egyptian gods have their Nile river etc. So no, the 'gods' aren't tracking the development of vampire society. **

**Fun Fact: Hunter has black hair and blue eyes because she's actually Finnish. It's a combination quite popular in the northern regions of Europe. **

**After re-reading everything I just wrote, I realized I'm a nerd. Great...**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-07: My **_**Vampire**_** Knights-**

"_Chandler and Van Nuys, _

_With all the vampires and their brides, _

_We're all bloodless and blind, _

_And longing for a life, _

_Beyond the silver moon… "_

Ringside – Tired of Being Sorry

The darkness embraced her like a heavy cloak. The stench of blood surrounded her and hung heavily in the air. Normally it'd be frightening. Being unable to see, that is. Unable to see what is in front of her – not knowing what her next step would bring, it would be frightening. Somehow it was different tonight. She found the darkness comforting and didn't want to leave. "_Just do what you do…" _a voice said. The words echoed in her mind. What does she do? She couldn't remember.

A dim light appeared at the end of the tunnel. Her gaze lifted. Why was the light there? She didn't know, but it disturbed her comfortable darkness. A silhouette appeared within the frames of the light. Who was it? She couldn't tell.

Her muscles contracted and lifted her to her feet. One step after another, she began walking towards the silhouette. It all felt so familiar, as if she's done it a million times before. Maybe she has. She couldn't remember.

Step by step she kept on getting closer to the silhouette. Soon it became an outline of a person. Few more steps and she could tell it was a woman. What was this woman doing here? This was her darkness – her comfort. Why was she letting in this light? This light that penetrated and stabbed at her darkness, the light she didn't want.

Now the woman's details became clearer. She had long hair – it looked black. It was as black as oil and it cascaded down around her lean hourglass figure. The light was now hurting her eyes but she finally reached this intruder. Their gazes met. A pair of moon-like silver eyes met her arctic blue ones. The woman before her looked identical to her aside for the eyes.

The silver eyed version of her brought her palm up. She did as well. Their hands touched.

_We are one…_

* * * * * *

Hunter awoke with a throbbing headache. She had another weird dream. The weird dreams have been quite frequent recently as well. They started at the orphanage before the fire. The only difference with this dream was the fact that for the first time she felt comfortable in the darkness. Rolling over she felt a sharp pain stab through her arm. "Gah…" she groaned turning her body back to how it was.

Her arm was wrapped with white gauze. Why? What happened? She stared at it as if it were some alien device. It flooded back to her – shopping, that kid, then that crazed person attacking her. Then what? Her mind was drawing a blank.

The door to her room creaked open and footsteps sounded against the hardwood floor.

"That's what you get for not doing what you're told," said a nonchalant male voice. Hunter looked up to see Zero standing there, hands in pockets, attitude screaming from his posture. Everything combined – he looked like he didn't want to be there.

"If you really hate me that much, why don't you just leave?" her voice was ice cold.

An angry tick appeared on his temple. That damn werewolf. "Chairman sent me here to check if you're awake. He wants you to come to his office." Zero said in his usual blunt way and turned on his heel. Hunter stuck her tongue out mockingly at his back as the door closed behind him.

"I wonder what crawled up his ass and died…" she grumbled as she slid out of her bed and headed out to shower.

* * * * * * *

Hunter stood before the Chairman's office doors. Taking a deep breath she exhaled, calming her heart into a much slower pace and ridding her face of any emotion. Her knuckles rapped on the wooden door.

"Come in," the Chairman said on the other side, his voice muffled through the door.

She twisted the door knob and walked in. "Good morning," Hunter greeted emotionlessly not knowing what else to say. She gave him her usual curtsy out of habit.

"Good morning, how are you feeling?" he asked her looking up from his paperwork. "Fine," she replied. "How much do you remember from yesterday?" the ash-blond man asked pointing at her arm with his pen. So this is what it was all about. "Not much, after I finished shopping this kid told me he lost his kitten and then this crazed person attacked me…" she said voice emotionless, her face blank.

* * * * * *

Zero was passing by the Chairman's office when he heard muffled voices inside. _"…This crazed person attacked me..."_ said a voice he recognized as Hunter's. Listening in on other people's conversations wasn't his thing. "_Why didn't you ask Zero to go with you?"_ he heard the Chairman say.

Unless it was about him…

"_I didn't want to."_ Hunter replied. _"Well why not? If he would have been there this wouldn't have happened."_

Yeah, if he would have been there he would have killed that Level-E before she could go werewolf on him.

"_Because his shitty attitude would have ruined my fun,"_ Hunter said bluntly. "_That's harsh_," Kaien said.

Zero heard enough. Her words didn't affect him much, seeing as no one wanted to get near him in the first place. He didn't want people to get close to him. Not after what happened, not after he became a vampire himself. But the fact that this girl – no, this _werewolf_ – rather get attacked by a vampire than do as she's told kind of annoyed him.

Then a question popped into his mind. Did his "shitty attitude" annoy Yuuki like it annoyed Hunter? A feeling of unease tore through him. He never really thought about it in that kind of way. Yuuki never seemed to mind. She never showed him any signs that it bothered her. He should his head to clear his thoughts. Yuuki wasn't Hunter. Yuuki wasn't a werewolf. She was just his little beloved Yuuki that would never think like that damn wolf.

* * * * * *

The final bell rung, signaling that the classes were over for the day, school sucked in her opinion. Sunday was uneventful for her aside from getting scolded by the Chairman for not asking Zero to go with her shopping on Saturday. "_If it wasn't for Akatsuki and Aido who knows what could have happened to you?"_ She groaned at the memory. Chairman Cross told her to thank them properly today. That was even worse because she didn't care that they "saved her." They should have left her to get killed. Last thing she wanted was to be treated like some damsel in distress. She was no damsel and no princess, she didn't need knights in shining armor.

Yet she promised the Chairman to thank them properly so that's what she was going to do. The full names of her "knights" were Akatsuki Kain and Aido Hanabusa. Cross even told her what they looked like as well. Apparently they were students of the elite night-class. From what she observed around the school was that just about all of the day-class girls were crazy about guys from the night-class. _They need to find better hobbies…_she thought bitterly.

* * * * * *

Hunter chilled in one of Chairman's gardens until the sun began to set. She liked being alone. Looking at the descending sun she growled. The night class would be leaving their dorms now. As much as she didn't want to do this, she promised the headmaster, and breaking promises was one thing she never did.

When she arrived by the gates to the Moon Dorms, she wasn't surprised to see all the day-class girls crowding around the said gates. _Pathetic_…she thought as she leaned against a nearby tree.

It was quite amusing to watch Yuuki struggle with the girls though. "Please step back!" she heard her yell. The poor girl was just too nice, and that good-for-nothing other perfect also known as Zero was nowhere in sight. That was good. Hunter didn't like his cranky attitude. Regardless of what made him so cranky he shouldn't be taking it out on everyone around him in her opinion. Not everyone was guilty of whatever made him this way.

The gates creaked open and 99% of the gathered girls began screaming and squealing as if their favorite boy-band just came out from backstage to sign autographs. It hurt her ears.

"Idol-sempai!" some of the girls squealed when a blonde guy with wild hair came out. Hunter instantly recognized him as the Aido Hanabusa she was supposed to thank. Next to him was Akatsuki Kain – the other guy she was to thank. But with all those girls around this didn't sound as easy as she originally thought it'd be.

Suddenly Kain's eyes met with her. A small smile spread across his lips and he elbowed Aido. Hunter pushed herself off the tree and began walking towards them. They took a few steps towards her direction. Their action catching Kaname's attention, but he decided not to say anything.

"I want to thank you for saving me on Saturday," Hunter said giving them a small bow. Kain laughed a little and ruffled her hair. "It's alright, did the chairman make you do this?" Aido asked with a small smile. "Y-yes," she replied uneasily, startled by Kain's action. Aido laughed and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, don't worry about it, I'll let the chairman know you thanked us." And with that he left to entertain the rest of the girls who were glaring daggers at Hunter. "How are you my dear beauties? Did you miss me?" Aido asked the crowd of girls, earning himself an echo of "kyaa!!!"

Hunter flinched at the noise, making Kain laugh. She glared at him, "what's so funny?" she asked all friendliness gone. "You," he said bluntly.

An angry tick appeared on Hunter's face. _That bastard!_ She thought angrily.

* * * * * * *

Kiriyuu Zero hated his job as a perfect because he had to deal with all those crazed fan girls of the night-class students. He hated those guys too because they were vampires, though he didn't hate them as much as he hated their leader – Kuran Kaname.

He sighed mentally at the sight of all the day-class girls gathered by the gates of the Moon Dorms, screaming their heads off at everything Aido said. How annoying. It was time to help out Yuuki with the girls.

"Back to your dorms, now!" He yelled at the gathered girls, making them jump with fright and scatter. "Seriously, so annoying, screaming 'kya, kya, kya, kya,' every damn day – "he stopped mid rant when he noticed Hunter and Kain talking together. Kain ruffled her hair and laughed while she glared at him over something he said.

"Zero?" Yuuki called out to him as he began walking towards the two. He ignored her. "Classes are starting Akatsuki." He said blankly, his gaze penetrating them both. "Ah, sorry, Mr. Perfect," Kain said. "Well then, I'll be taking my leave," Hunter said excusing herself and turned on her heel not waiting for a response.

They watched her leave. "What are you aiming at, Akatsuki?" Zero asked the taller teen. "Nothing really, I'd just like to get to know _her_. Is there something wrong with that? Besides, she's really cute," Kain replied giving the silver-haired man a small wink as he walked away.

* * * * * * * *

The bed sheets rustled. A groan escaped her mouth. Hunter couldn't sleep again because she's been refusing to take her pills. It was only at night that she couldn't get herself to sleep. Daytime – she'd be sleeping like the dead. "Damn it!" she cursed aloud and got out of her bed. A walk might help her restlessness.

Hunter dressed quickly and headed for the door, stopping halfway. Someone might hear her. Looking around the room she tried to think of a way to get out without being noticed. The window caught her eye. The breeze caressed her skin as she opened the window. Looking down, she was several stories from the ground she was seeking. Her eyes studied the building's architecture looking for an escape route. There was no fire escape and nothing to really grab onto and climb down. Tying her bed sheets together would be too obvious, but Hunter realized that if she grabbed onto the ledge and climbed few windows to her right she'd be able to climb down a gutter.

Grinning, she lifted herself onto the ledge and steadied herself for the perfect balance. Her hands gripped onto the window frame as the wind ruffled her skirt, making her think that she should have worn jeans. "Oh well, here we go…" she said as she swung her body over onto the next window.

Hunter's foot slipped and she began to fall but she managed to grab onto the ledge. Adrenaline pumping, she tried to think fast what to do next. Obviously the plan to get to the gutter was not going to happen now. She looked down. There were two more windows below her, meaning she was only on the 3rd floor. A groan erupted in her throat.

Fingers aching, Hunter decided to let go and focused on catching the ledge of the next floor window. When her fingers grazed against the concrete she clamped down onto it and her body jerked painfully. The feeling of her skin being torn overriding the numbing adrenaline high. "Aah..." she moaned out of pain but didn't let go.

Now she was on the second floor, roughly twenty feet in the air. She could try catching onto the first floor window ledge but judging by how painfully her hands were throbbing it didn't seem like a good idea. "It's only twenty feet…" she said to herself when the light in the room she was holding onto lit. A shadow fell upon her then disappeared. She heard some voices but couldn't make out what they were. Soon the light was turned off making her let go of the breath she was holding.

_One…two…three…_

Hunter let go of the ledge and let herself fall to the ground. Within split seconds, she twisted her body like a cat and landed in a crouching position, her hands bleeding onto the concrete. Maybe next time she should just try to stealthily sneak out of the building using doors and stairs rather than jumping from windows…

Hunter's eyes darted about in the darkness. No one saw her. Good. Finding the coast clear she took off into the night.

* * *

Got questions? I'll answer them.


	8. Sleepless Nights

**Note: Yay, update. Took a while. I'm usually better with updating frequently. Been working on a new chapter for my other story- When Worlds Collide - so yeah. **

**Now, my response to flaming-amber: yes I'm a mythology/history geek because I find that stuff absolutely fascinating. I think it's funny how in Western countries we're forced to learn strictly about those areas and only the big powers and barely mention anything about Africa or Eastern countries but in Eastern countries you guys don't learn much about the West. **

**I know Zero's really cranky but that's just his personality. Right now he's extra cranky 'cause Hunter's making him cranky. It'll be better explained later in the story. I'm using Kain for various reasons and yes, he is a bit OC-ish but there isn't much about him in either the manga or anime. He's just this laid back "hands off" guy that seems to always hang with Aido and get in trouble because of him. So I'm adding a bit of flare to this "wild guy" for the purpose of my story. **

**And yes, I don't feel the need to include all the characters because that'd be just too many to juggle and too distracting. Sometimes it's okay to have a lot of characters but on some occassions it's better to keep them limited. Ruka has no purpose in my story so she's not there. Yuuki isn't even playing that big of a role and she's a main character in VK. They're just unnecessary. I might mention them or other VK characters here and there sooner or later but they won't play a big role. The key players are: Hunter, Zero, Kain, Aido and Chairman. **

**To Kousuke-no-baka: Thanks for the quote, I knew of that quote before and it's German but I completely forgot about it. I originally based Hunter off that quote! So thanks for reminding me! (Not being sarcastic). **

**To other readers: I'm glad to know that you guys are enjoying this story. I never thought it'd get that good of a response considering I just wrote this on a whim. **

**Anyway...ENJOY!**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-8: Sleepless Nights-**

"_Restless days, sleepless nights, our own world…"_

Authority Zero – Memory Lane

Hunter snuck through the school's gardens like a ninja trying to avoid being spotted. It was against the rules for the day-class students to be out past their curfew. But what the hell, it's her. She's never done what she's supposed to and always took every shot she got at breaking the rules. It made life exciting…for her at least.

The night was warm and the cool breeze felt refreshing. She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with the night air. The scent of trees, flowers, and the earth engulfed her senses. Her hands were still dirty and bleeding a bit from jumping from the second floor. It was reckless but it was fun. Doing things she wasn't supposed to was always exciting.

The sound of water caught her attention. Figuring it'd be best to was her hands, she followed the sound until she came up upon a fountain. Taking a seat on the edge she submersed her hands into the cold water. It felt refreshing.

Once her hands were clean she wiped them dry against her skirt and resumed exploring the school grounds. After a seemingly endless walk through trees and gardens a building appeared. It looked like a stable. "Hm?" she wondered aloud as she headed towards the building. She slid open the large door and just as she thought it was a barn, but it wasn't just some old abandoned barn. Nope, it was still in use and there were horses in it.

Hunter walked up to a dark brown horse and pet its muzzle. Looking around, she noticed that most horses were of different shades of brown aside from one. There was only one white horse. She walked up to the white horse that seemed to be glaring at her. "Oh, you've got attitude, I see. Just like someone I know…" Hunter said to the horse unaffected by its uneasy behavior. She glanced around the barn. There was some hay to her left and a bucket of carrots hanging next to ropes and other horse-related things. She decided to grab a carrot.

Holding out the carrot to the white horse she watched the animal try to reach for it. Just before it was about to clamp its teeth around the vegetable, Hunter snatched it back. "Nuh uh, bad horse, you don't get a carrot with that kind of attitude," she said to the animal. The horse neighed agitated. She bit the carrot, "mm, that's yummy," she said looking at the horse.

The white horse stomped its hoof. "I told ya you're not getting it with that kind of attitude," Hunter said once more. She reached out to pet the horse but the animal snapped at her. "So that's how it is…" she said and waved the carrot in front of the horse's mouth. When the horse went to bite the carrot she smacked its nose. "Bad, you don't deserve it."

The horse neighed and reared then stomped both of its hooves down. It really wanted a carrot. Hunter held out the carrot and taunted the horse, "come and get it then," she said and with every inch the horse got closer the further she pulled the carrot away until the horse was stretching its neck in hopes of getting the carrot. When the horse took a bite of the carrot she reached out with her other hand and stroked its nose. The animal pulled back instinctively. "If you want this carrot you better let me pet you," Hunter said waving the vegetable.

Several attempts later, the horse was eating out of her hand. Hunter grinned, "not so bad is it?" she asked as she stroked the animal's large neck. An idea came to her mischievous mind. Letting go of the horse, she ventured over to where all the tacks were. Hunter took a bridle already with reins attached and put it on the horse's head. The horse only hesitated when she tried placing the bit in its muzzle but reluctantly let her do it.

Hunter didn't bother with a saddle and climbed into the animal's stall. Her hand gently caressed the animal's back then slowly pulled herself onto it. The white horse shifted a bit, but otherwise remained steady. "Good girl," she said petting the animal. Extending her leg, she kicked the lock upwards and the gate swung open. Hunter nudged the horse forward and rode out of the barn.

* * * * * * * *

Zero sat quietly slumped against a tree, doing his usual job of being a "perfect." It was a sucky job, but hey, as long as he was given the power to keep those vampire bastards in line he didn't care how much the job sucked. He ran a hand through his hair. Unfortunately he was one of those bastards.

Maybe if he wasn't born to a family of hunters, and maybe if his family wasn't killed by a vampire, maybe then he wouldn't hate being one. Maybe then he'd be like Yuuki, liking all those "good vampires" as she called them. Yeah, maybe then, but that wasn't the case and the past couldn't be changed. No matter what there's no way he'd ever like being this damned nocturnal parasite.

Speaking of parasites….was Hunter a parasite too? He didn't know because he had no clue what werewolves were like. Did they feed on human blood? Or did they tear them to shreds and feast on their flesh like the real wolves did on a deer? Did Hunter feed on raw meat like wild game or did she eat humans?

Thinking about it he realized he had no clue about werewolves. No one has really talked about that kind because it was always vampires vs. humans. Always vampires this, vampires that. Must protect the humans, must protect the vampires. It was all clockwork, with everything ticking perfectly together in sync. And now fate has thrown a loose part into this well oiled machine. For Zero it violated many of the things he always believed in. If Hunter's existence changed things for him what would happen if the Hunter's Association found out? What if this would go public?

All the questions were giving him a headache. He looked up at the starry night sky. The breeze swayed his hair and the trees around him, carrying a distant sound of hooves. Confused he listened in but there was nothing. Not a sound, not a scent. He could have sworn he heard a horse's hooves.

Zero got up and brushed the dirt off his uniform. Taking one quick glance around in the darkness he took off in the direction of where the sound came from.

* * * * * * *

"Kiriyuu-kun!!!" the Chairman wailed as he ran through the garden, tears streaking down his face.

"What is it?" Zero asked irritated as to why this eccentric man would be running around in the middle of the night in his pajamas and pink slippers. "Hunter-chan is missing!!" Kaien cried like a worried mother. This caught Zero's attention, "what do you mean she's gone?"

"I went to check on her in her room and she wasn't there! I searched the upstairs and checked the bathrooms and she was nowhere to be found in the building!" the ash-blond man said in one breath. "I'm such a bad father!" he added in through a stream of tears. "You're not even her father," Zero replied bluntly to the man's insecurities.

"That's harsh…" Chairman replied, his back slouched, arms dangling in front of him. "Are you sure she's not in her room?" Zero asked, feeling as if he's the only sane person. Headmaster Cross nodded. "Let's check again."

* * * * * *

Chairman Cross and Zero reached Hunter's room, which used to be Zero's, and opened the door. The door creaked on its hinges and let them in. The room was dark aside from the silver moonlight streaming in through the window.

The scent of blood tickled at his senses, it was faint but definitely there. Zero's eyes darted about and settled on the bed. There was a hump on it, so to make sure it was Hunter he walked up to the bed and gently lifted the covers.

Just as he thought, Hunter was sleeping. The blood must've been a wound that just broke open or something. Her back wasn't fully healed yet so that was the only logical explanation he could think of. He gave Chairman a "what were you talking about?" look that also meant that Kaien was an idiot and freaked out over something that wasn't even true.

Kaien looked at Hunter confused. She wasn't there five minutes ago. The bed was empty and her window was open. It was confusing.

* * * * * * *

Hunter listened the two men walk out of her room. When the door closed behind them she let out a huge sigh of relief. _Almost got busted_…she thought as she rolled over. She heard Kaien and Zero talking in the garden after she got done riding on the white horse. When she was exploring the grounds by foot it was then that she ran into those two. It really was a close call. Luck must've been on her side because that was the fastest she's ever run in her life. It was definitely also the fastest she's ever changed her clothes too.

She sucked in a deep breath then let it out slowly. _Close call, close call…_she repeated in her head a few times as she stared at the bland ceiling then grinned to herself in the darkness. Since she got away with it this time she was going to try her luck again the next night.

* * * * * * *

He eyed her suspiciously from the corner of his eye. The Headmaster has been running to him crying just about every night saying that she's not in her bed. That she's missing. But every time he'd go in to check her room she'd be there – sleeping. Of course, Chairman Cross was always eccentric and exaggerated certain things, but right now it seemed as if the man was losing his mind.

Therefore, unless the old man was going senile or started sleepwalking, he figured that something was off. Yet no matter how much he scrutinized the raven haired girl he couldn't find anything that would prove that the old man wasn't going insane. She still sat there, next to him, emotionlessly like a porcelain doll.

Hunter could feel Kiriyuu staring at her, scrutinizing every single hair on her body and she knew why too. But there was no way she was going to let him in on her nightly escapades around the school. Nope, he didn't need to know that she's been sneaking out every night and riding the white horse. He didn't need to know how good she's gotten at sneaking out of her room through the window. She started wearing leather gloves to prevent cutting up her hands but the way her body jerked each time she caught onto the window ledge was still painful. Jumping from the second floor came to her with unbelievable ease as well.

A yawn threatened to escape her lips but she suppressed the urge. She hasn't been taking her medication; therefore she hasn't slept in a week or so. Not the best of ideas but she really didn't like the effects of the medication. Now she kept that empty expression because she was exhausted and not because she was high on meds. _As long as no one notices…_

Life at Cross Academy wasn't so bad but it was pretty boring, for Hunter at least. The only thrills she got were from sneaking out at night. It was Thursday and the weekend was coming up. Truthfully, it'd be fun to go out and roam the town but after what happened last weekend she doubted she'd be able to get away without having Mr. Scrutinizing Glare attached at her hip.

The bell rung, signaling it was the end of day. For day-class students that is. A small rush of excitement ran through Hunter as it meant that in a few hours she'd be back at the stables, ready to ride the horse she affectionately named Lumi, which means "snow" in Finnish.

Hunter picked up her stuff and headed out, ignoring the burning daggers in the back of her head that she knew were coming from Zero's always glaring eyes. That kid had some serious issues. Maybe she should suggest therapy to him?

* * * * * * *

"Hunter-chaaaann!!!" Kaien Cross called out in a way that a man should never do. The mentioned man, or whatever he was, swayed about and stopped in front of Hunter. She eyed him not knowing whether to cry or run from his weirdness. "I have a package for you from Sister Katherine!" he suddenly said with a big grin on his face and shoved a box into her hands.

"Hm?" Hunter looked at the box. It was relatively light and plain. "C'mon open it! Let's see what Sister Katherine sent you!" Kaien urged her like a child on Christmas Day would urge its parents to open a crappy hand-made gift by them.

Hunter opened the box with slight unease. Pulling out some stuffing paper she pulled out a dress, a pair of heels and a note. "I heard that the Halloween Dance is a big thing at Cross Academy so I'm sending you this dress and shoes as a gift so you have something to wear to the dance. I hope you're not causing too much trouble and getting along well with everyone. Love, Sister Katherine…" Hunter read the note aloud.

"She's so considerate!" Kaien said through teary eyes.

She looked at the man unsure of what to say. What was this Halloween Dance all about?

* * *

AH! The infamous Halloween Dance! I feel so cliche using it in my story with the whole "ugh, it's been done before in all the other OC stories!" but there's going to be a twist. Wouldn't have it any other way...

I think this chapter was a bit choppy? And I know a lot of you are saying "omg why didn't you have Zero catch Hunter? It would have been great for their relationship development!"

Well...I have my reasons. Considering their personalities, especially Zero's, I'm taking things REALLY slow. There will be some development soon though. I'm working on it. Also, if you haven't noticed - he's been thinking a lot about her...=)

Oh yeah, if I don't update tomorrow, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Or at least to those who celebrate it...


	9. Bound

**Note: Sorry it took so long to get this one out. It's finals season so bear with me. I don't know when the next chapter will be out, so I'm apologizing in advance. I actually need to study for a change...*sigh***

**On a brighter note, since the semester is ending, I'll have a month of nothing to do but write =)**

**This chapter is longer than usual and there's a little twist. No Halloween Dance yet, that'll be the next chapter. **

**Oh and I did mention that this might be a ZeroxOC fic though I might do some other things first? Zero's personality is a bit difficult to deal with and Hunter isn't that easy either. Sticking them two together is going to be quite a challenge. Ah, but challenges can be fun, right? **

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-09: Bound-**

"_But you know that you can't fight the moonlight  
No, you can't fight it  
It's gonna get to your heart"_

Leann Rimes – Can't Fight the Moonlight

Mornings were always two things: beautiful and annoying. At least in Hunter's opinion. As a nocturnal creature she truly despised the chirping of morning birds and the painfully bright rays of sun that stabbed through her window, spilling golden light into her room. The sunrise might be a beautiful view but in the end that always meant the start of the day – the part that Hunter hated the most.

After clumsily rolling out of her bed and going about her usual morning routine, Hunter was now sitting in one of her classrooms listening to the day-girls rave about the upcoming Halloween Dance. _Hn, what's so big about a dance?_ She wondered as she blankly stared at the chalkboard.

A sudden shift in the air beside her told her that Zero just took his usual seat and judging by his aura he didn't seem excited to be there. Go figure, it was like this every single day. In all the classes they shared she'd always sit there still and he'd be all tense and cranky eyeing her suspiciously from his peripheral vision as if she was too dumb to notice. _Seriously, do I smell bad or something?_ She wondered though that thought proved false for she found herself to have a pleasing scent, unlike some people in the classroom…

Hunter's mind wandered about for a while trying to come up with a reason as to why he was always so tense around her. She didn't smell bad, and that was a fact, so there had to be something else. Not coming up with a reason for his behavior she shrugged mentally and continued to stare at the board blankly. There was nothing else to do and she was tired from being out all night once more.

Speaking of which, this reminded her that was the reason why he's been eyeing her as if she's grown another head and maybe eight extra limbs in all the wrong places. Chairman Cross has been running around at night looking for her and out of all people running to Kiriyuu Zero. Then they would always go into her room to find her "sleeping" like "the little angel" that she is. _Ha, if you only knew…_ she thought to herself, fighting to suppress a smirk. He's been doing that every morning after every nightly occurrence…

"Hey, Hunter-san, are you going to the Halloween Dance?" a girl asked disturbing her from her thoughts. "Hm? I don't know. What's so special about it?" she asked, her voice as blank as her expression.

"Oh right, you're new! The Halloween Dance is when the day-class students get to mingle with the night-class students!" the girl said chirpily, her statement making other girls go into a dream-like state. "Ah, Idol-sempai…" some of them said dreamily. _Idol-sempai? Are they talking about Aido?_ Hunter wondered still trying to figure out what was so special about getting to mingle with the night-class students.

"Hunter-san you should really go!" another girl said buttery-eyed like a love-struck renaissance romantic. _Something's wrong with these girls_….was all that came to her mind.

"I'll think about it," was her reply before the class begun.

* * * * * * *

The day was over and the night embraced the world. Hunter opened her bedroom window and took in a deep breath of fresh night air – the scent she loved the most. Fresh, cool, dry and a bit crisp, filled with the scents of nature. It was just perfect. Her eyes traveled to the navy blue sky, resting on the waxing moon. _It's going to be a full moon soon, isn't it?_

Her hands gripped tightly onto the window ledge then supporting her weight on them, she swiftly threw her body over into the air into a free fall. Within seconds her gloved hands gripped onto the second floor window as her body jerked painfully. That was the only thing that was always painful about this method of escape.

Letting go, her body twisted in the air and soon she was on the ground crouching. _Escape mission accomplished…_

Coast clear, her muscles tensed and she darted for the stables just like any other night. Jumping over bushes, grabbing onto tree branches to swing herself over larger distances, kicking off trees and fountains to jump over things, Hunter was nothing more but a black shadow flashing through the grounds of Cross Academy.

Without a single drop of sweat, Hunter entered the stables and habitually went for the bridle with the reins and a carrot. "Lumi!" she greeted the horse as she fed it the carrot before placing the bit in its mouth. With the gate already open, Hunter pulled herself onto the horse's back and rode out into the night.

* * * * * * *

The vampire leaned against a tree, a sigh escaping his lips. To Zero this was just another night scouting the grounds of Cross Academy and within the next two or so hours Chairman Cross would be running to him claiming that Hunter is missing. Ah, but tonight he vowed to change that. He had every intention of hunting down that sneaky little werewolf.

To accomplish that, he pushed his back off the tree and sniffed the air for her scent – nothing. _How disappointing_, he thought but that didn't discourage him from looking for her. He was 120% sure that she's been sneaking out and coming back before them. That was a fact, but the question was how?

In order to discover the answer to the above question, Zero figured it'd be best to go to her dorm, which he knew was empty, and then follow her scent from there like a bloodhound. He hated the irony of calling himself a bloodhound, but there was another task at hand.

When he reached the main building where the Chairman's office was along with Hunter's room he didn't have to go far to find her scent. Four stories below, directly under her bedroom window was a bloodstain, and he could very well tell it was hers.

Zero knelt down, touching the blood with his index finger, and sniffed it as his eyes turned a burning crimson. She must have hurt herself sneaking out, but did that mean she's been jumping from the fourth floor this entire time?

Judging by the smell of the blood she was here not too long ago but the blood wasn't that fresh either. The vampire got to his feet and scanned the area before him. Where could she have gone?

As if an answer, the breeze drafted a scent of her blood towards him. All things were not lost yet. "I'm going to hunt you down, werewolf…" Zero said quietly to himself as he took off following the trail of blood.

* * * * * * *

The wind from running made his bangs lash at his face as he jumped over yet another bush wondering what that girl was doing, seeing as her bloodstained route was very chaotic. Zero stopped mid run to catch his breath. He hasn't fed in a while so he wasn't as strong.

Guilt stabbed at his heart. _Hasn't fed_…rang in his head and images of Yuuki's bleeding neck came flooding to him. Ah, how he hated being this monster…

The distant sound of hooves dragged him out of his guilt-ride. Picking his head up, he calculated from which direction they were coming from and headed towards them. There was no way he was going to allow Hunter get away again. He had to be careful though – he didn't want to give away his presence just yet.

When Zero reached Hunter he was struck dumbfounded. She was still in her uniform, minus the blazer, riding bareback on his Lily. No one else has ever been able to ride Lily. "What do you think you're doing?" he suddenly asked her, his own voice sounding distant to him.

Hunter's head jerked towards him. _Shit!_ She thought but kept a cool face. "What does it look like?" she retorted turning the horse around to face him.

An angry tick appeared on his temple. _That cheeky little flea-ridden mutt_….he thought then asked, "How'd you get Lily to let you ride her?"

For some reason knowing why Lily was friendly with Hunter was now more important than getting her into trouble for sneaking out every night.

Hunter shrugged, "Hm, so that's her name? Is she your horse?"

He gave her a nod. After all, he's been the only one ever able to go near Lily.

"That explains where she got her crappy attitude from…" Hunter said offhandedly, her comment irritating Zero. The nerve she had….

"Well if that's the case, does that mean that you'll also turn nice after a few carrots and a smack on the nose?" Hunter asked, looking too comfortable on Lily's back for Zero's liking.

The comment once more grated his nerves. "Oh yeah, I renamed her to Lumi, it sounds better…" Hunter added, this time making him want to strangle her.

"Whatever, go back to your dorm, now." He said coolly, deciding to keep face, as he grabbed the reins and began leading Lily back to the stables.

Hunter never made an effort to get off the horse and continued to sit there while Zero pulled on the reins. "Why are you so cranky all the time?" she asked out of the blue, startling him a bit.

"Didn't I just tell you to go back to your room? Or do you want me to take you to the Chairman's Office?" He asked, his voice colder than the glaciers in the North Pole as she played on his nerves like a guitar. All the day-girls would be running for their lives right about now. Zero was more irritated that his horse liked the werewolf than the fact she was out past her curfew.

Before Hunter could reply, frantic footsteps came running towards them. "Kiriyuu-kun! Hunter-chan is missing again!" Well speak of the devil…

Chairman Cross came to a stop, bending over and placing his hands on his knees as he breathed heavily. "No she's not, she's right here." Zero said blankly. The Headmaster looked up and saw Hunter sitting on the horse's back. What was the meaning of all this? Then he noticed her bleeding knee. "Oh my! You're hurt! C'mon, let's get that cleaned before it gets infected…" Kaien said grabbing her arm and pulling her off the horse and dragging her away.

_So much for his worries of her being missing…_Zero thought bitterly as he watched their retreating figures.

He then turned to the horse, stroking its muzzle. "I can't believe you betrayed me for carrots…"

* * * * * *

Hunter watched the Headmaster fuss around her scraped knee more than it was necessary. It wasn't even bleeding anymore. _Ah, but the distraction is nice_….she thought, seeing as she just got caught. _Damn that albino freak_…she grumbled mentally when the door to the office swung open. _Speak of the devil and he shows….great…_It was difficult for Hunter to keep the irritation off her face. _Stay calm, stay calm, you'll only make it worse for yourself_, she chanted in her head.

Zero walked into the Chairman's Office with his usual expression. Sometimes it made Hunter wish it betrayed what was going on in his head. "Ah, Kiriyuu-kun! I'm glad you're here!" Kaien said as he finished tending to Hunter's knee. For some reason they frequently ended up in this kind of situation.

"What were you doing sneaking around after dark?" Zero was straight to the point. Hunter didn't flinch at his tone as most were expected to. She simply looked up at him with blank eyes. "Oh that's right, it's dangerous for day-class students to be out past their curfew!" Chairman added in, his mind on a completely different track.

"I couldn't sleep." She replied bluntly. "So I decided to take a walk. What's wrong with that?" In reality there was nothing wrong with what she said, but then again considering everything else, that still didn't justify her actions. Hunter knew that well but decided to play that card anyway.

"Have you been taking your medications, Hunter-san?" Kaien asked, knowing what the answer would be, yet he still hoped she'd say the opposite.

Hunter shook her head no. "They make me drowsy all day." She said in a flat voice. "Hm, I see," Kain said thoughtfully, holding his chin between his index finger and his thumb.

Zero and Hunter watched Chairman Cross pace his office thinking about something. The man went from one side to the other, looked out the window, then scanned a vast collection of books before pulling one out. Flipping through several dusty pages, his long thin finger traced the ink words before settling on a paragraph.

"I'll be going out of town for a few days," he began in a serious tone, "since you haven't been taking your medications, I'll need Kiriyuu-kun to be by your side at all times…" the vampire and the werewolf eyed him suspiciously, "because I won't be able to handle it if anything bad happens to my little Hunter-chan!!!" Kaien exclaimed teary eyed, hugging the book close to his chest.

Their expressions fell at the sight of the psychotic-looking man. "What do you mean?" Zero asked breaking the awkwardness. Kaien pushed up his glasses, "I just need you to watch Hunter-chan while I'm away," he said reopening the book to the page he was looking at. "To ensure that, I'll need to bind you," he added earning himself more weird looks. How was he going to bind them?

Zero glared at him, "I don't want to be bound."

"Don't worry, it's only temporary," the Chairman waved him off and set the book on his desk then rummaged through a drawer. "Ah, there it is!" Cross exclaimed as he pulled out a black satin choker and a matching bracelet. "Come here, Hunter-chan," he said. The girl obediently walked over to the Headmaster and allowed him to put the choker around her neck. "Good girl," he said petting her head as if she was a puppy.

The ash-blond man then turned to Zero and quickly clasped the matching bracelet around his wrist. "Hey!" Zero exclaimed though it was now futile. "I'm only being cautious," Kaien said and then turned to the old volume, reading the yellowed pages.

"Come ye as the charm is made! Queen of Heaven, Queen of Hell, Horned Hunter of the night, lend your power unto the spell and work our will by magic rite!"

The choker and the bracelet were enveloped in a bright glow and a silver thread appeared connecting from Zero's wrist to Hunter's neck.

"By all the power of land and sea, by all the might of the moon and sun, I call the Earth to bind my spell. Air to speed it well, bright as Fire shall it glow, deep as tide of water flow, count the elements fourfold. In the fifth the spell shall hold!"

When Kaien finished reciting the spell the glow ceased and the silver thread was no longer visible. "What was that?" Zero asked while Hunter looked at them confused. _What did just happen?_ She wondered.

"It's simple. I just bound you with silver. It's like a leash, basically. I don't know how far it stretches but if you say 'stop' the leash will stop stretching and stop Hunter-chan from going any further. That way, I don't have to worry about her sneaking out anymore…" Chairman Cross said with a grin. "Now let's practice! Hunter-chan start walking towards the end of the room." He said and pointed towards the opposite side of the room.

Hunter was still confused. What kind of punishment was this? And just for sneaking out! To top that off, she didn't know that Chairman Cross was into magic either. This school was really weird.

"Now say 'stop' Kiriyuu-kun," the man instructed, a strange glint in his eyes.

"Stop." Zero said as he was told. He suddenly felt pressure pulling on his wrist as if there really was a leash. Hunter also felt the pressure on her neck pulling her backwards towards Zero. She couldn't take another step. This was strange. "See! It works great isn't it? Now she can only go that distance from you, not a step further." Kaien said a bit too cheerfully for their taste. "Okay, and how do you release it?" Zero asked, hoping they wouldn't be stuck together with no more than ten feet to spare.

"Ah…I haven't figured out that one yet…" Kaien said scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"What?!" Zero exclaimed irritated. "What do you mean you haven't figured it out yet? How am I supposed to shower or sleep, huh?!"

Hunter cocked her head to the side. For once she agreed with Zero. This was going to be a problem. "Well how about tomorrow you guys only go to the classes you have together and you can miss the ones you don't? I'll figure out the answer by tomorrow and let you know." Cross said trying to calm them, even though Hunter wasn't making that big of a fuss about it her stare was scarier than Kiriyuu yelling at him.

"Fine!" Zero yelled infuriated and stormed out of the Chairman's office, yanking roughly on the invisible leash and dragging Hunter with him. She grimaced at the pain but followed nonetheless. Not like she could object to begin with.

He first dragged her to his room and grabbed a change of clothes then he went back to her room. "Get some clothes, we're gonna go shower…" he said dully.

Hunter looked at him uneasily. "You know what I meant!" Zero said turning away from her. This was going to be awkward...

* * *

Uh oh, what's gonna happen next?

Spell Credits:

Farrar, Janet and Stewart; "Eight Sabbats For Witches": Robert Hale 1983


	10. Dancing in the Moonlight

**Note: The long awaited update is here! It's much longer than my usual updates because I left you guys hanging for over two weeks. Or something like that. Well have no worries, the finals are over and here's my super long update since I didn't update for super long. It's almost 6,000 words! It was 11 pages in Microsoft Word. I don't know what else to say here at the moment, so I'll leave it at this. Enjoy. **

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-10: Dancing in the Moonlight**

"_Don't close your eyes  
Or I might drift away  
Under the night  
My image bends it's shape  
I'll be written on the wind  
Like in every sailor's dreams  
Heading for the moon…"_

Cyndi Lauper – Heading for the Moon

The eerie silence hung above them like a pendulum. Did she hear wrong? She must have. There was no way he said what she thought he did. "Shower…together?" she asked, her voice flat.

Zero waved his arms in front of her. "That's not what I meant!" He protested frantically, though peeved at how emotionless her response was. If it was Yuuki she'd probably be screaming her little head off, calling him a pervert and hitting him. "What I meant was that we'll go to the bathroom together and take turns showering since we can't go further than ten feet from each other…" Zero said explaining himself.

Hunter looked up at him. Zero didn't know what her look meant, "I won't peek, and I'll sit on the toilet or something…"he said placing a hand on the back of his neck feeling uncomfortable. "You'll sit on the toilet?" Hunter asked with a straight face, fighting a giggle at how ridiculous he sounded though she knew what he meant.

The vampire groaned frustrated, "I didn't mean it like that! Are you that thick headed or something? Forget it, let's just go." He said and pivoted away from her.

She wasn't thick headed. She just liked seeing him so flustered over something so trivial. _Ha, you're actually funny Kiriyuu Zero,_ she thought with a small smirk as she glanced at his tense back. Looking away, she twisted the knob on the door and entered her room. At least her duffel bag was close to the door so she didn't have to drag Zero into her room.

When she picked out some fresh clothes, she stepped out and they resumed walking together. Hunter kept her distance as she followed Zero, figuring it best to not fluster him too much. Even though it was fun. Several turns later, they entered the hallway where the Chairman's bathroom was – the one that Zero and Yuuki frequently used.

"Ah, Hunter-chan! Zero-kun!" came the Chairman's chirpy voice. What does he want now? Zero wondered as his eyes narrowed in on the blonde man. "Glad to see you here! I have your medication for you Hunter-chan. It's half of your original dose so it shouldn't affect you as much," Kaien said cheerfully as he shoved the medication into her mouth then put a glass to her lips and forced her to drink it to was down the bitter pill.

Hunter choked a little and mentally grunted with annoyance. "Well then, behave you kids," Chairman Cross said once again chirpily and walked away humming to himself. Hunter and Zero exchanged looks then walked into the bathroom.

"You go in first, I'll wait." Zero said as he set his clean clothes down on the counter. When he looked up he saw Hunter's reflection in the mirror as she was already undressing. "Hey! Don't undress here in front of a guy, don't you have any shame?!" He snapped as he turned around, shoving her into the shower stall, slamming the glass door behind her. "Undress in there, sheesh," he said turning his back away from her.

Hunter smirked, this was fun. She shed the rest of her clothes and threw them over the glass door before she turned on the shower.

The clothes flew over Zero, but her bra landed on his head. An angry tick appeared on his forehead. _Damn werewolf…_he thought angrily over the sound of the shower. _She's doing this on purpose, isn't she?_

He pulled the black bra off his head only to be stunned by the size of the cups. She was waaay bigger than Yuuki. A small blush crept up his face. He felt like a creepy pervert looking at a girl's bra. Throwing the bra into the pile with the rest of her clothes, he closed the toilet seat with his foot and sat down, undoing his tie. He could hear the water splash against her skin, even as it bounced off her body. The sound of her hands running against her skin. The sound of her fingers running through her hair as she shampooed it. It was so clear to his ears that when he closed his eyes he felt as if he was right there with her, her body…ah damn his vampire hearing. This was so awkward.

Hunter rinsed her hair and turned the water off. She squeezed out some water out of her hair then wrapped a towel around her head and her body, stepping out into the steamy bathroom.

Zero looked up at Hunter, his eyes following the water droplets trailing down her ivory skin. "I'm done," she said in the same flat voice, her eyes emotionless. It annoyed him because he knew that there was more under that porcelain doll visage. She just wasn't showing it. He shed his jacket and begun unbuttoning his shirt. Hunter had her scarred back to him but she could still see the outlines of his lean physique in the foggy mirror.

The door closed behind him with a small click. She heard him take off the rest of his clothes and throw them over the door into a heap next to hers. Then the showerhead came to life. Taking in a deep breath of the steamy air, Hunter felt the moist air fill her lungs as she tried to calm herself. This was awkward and funny at the same time. She was beginning to struggle with keeping herself from bursting out in laughter. The faces that Zero made were priceless. He was too serious for his own good.

She dried her body quickly, roughly towel-drying her hair then getting fully dressed in her night clothes. Zero was still showering so she took a seat on the closed toilet and felt oddly tired. _Must be the pills Cross gave me_, she thought as she moved to sit sideways on the toilet. A yawn escaped her lips and her eyes closed.

Shaking the water out of his hair, Zero stepped out of the shower stall, a white towel wrapped around his slender waist. "Hm?" he wondered aloud as he spotted the sleeping werewolf on the toilet. In an odd way, this was a funny sight. Seriously, who falls asleep on a toilet? Sighing, he dried himself with no restraints called decency. It didn't matter since the only woman around was asleep…on a toilet.

"Hey, wake up," he said to the sleeping girl but she didn't budge. Then he poked her arm. Nothing. Shook it. Nothing. Smacked her forehead. Nothing. _Damn, must be that pill Kaien shoved down her throat…_he thought.

Dry and dressed, he put their clothes in the laundry hamper that was mostly used by the Chairman. He'd get their clothes later. There was only one thing he could carry and that thing was going to be Hunter, seeing as the only other option would be to drag her by the invisible leash. Not like she'd wake up if he did that…would she? What would she do if she did wake up? Probably nothing, but then again he didn't know her enough to tell what she'd do. She might snap at him and try to rip his throat out for all he knew.

Not taking any chances, he lifted the sleeping wolf into his arms. Much to his surprise, she was heavier than she looked_. Dead weight_…he figured. Everyone weighs more when they're dead weight. Yet even though she was heavier than expected, for a girl she was still light. _Her boobs probably weigh more than her body_…he thought as he looked down at the ample cleavage that her night gown revealed. A blush washed over his cheeks. He felt like he just stooped down to Aido's level. That guy was a pervert, and he felt like one right now. What was wrong with him? He never even thought of Yuuki in such way. And he loved her! The thoughts of the short brunette with the innocent eyes calmed him. He'd only love Yuuki. He'd give his life for her.

This thing in his arms wasn't even human. No matter how human she looked, she was anything but. He might as well write her off as one of the vampires – the filthy creatures, the monsters. In the end, once Hunter's true form surfaces she'll be nothing more but a blood thirsty beast. Or at least that's what he thought, but then again, what do werewolves eat to begin with? Are they like vampires?

The questions plagued his mind as he walked through the dark hallways. Zero had no need for light, since his night vision was perfect. One of the very few perks of being a vampire, but that didn't mean he'd stop hating what he has become. He glanced down at Hunter who was snuggled up in his arms, completely unaware of the situation, which made him wonder if she was going to have another nightmare tonight. In truth, he hoped she wasn't going to because if she does, he can forget about sleeping. There's no way to wake her from a nightmare if she's strung out like a crack whore in a red light district.

Kiriyuu kicked open the door to Hunter's room (formerly his) and placed her on the bed before pulling the covers over her body, then settled on the couch, taking one last glance at the sleeping wolf before closing his own eyes.

* * * * * * *

"I can't take this anymore!" Zero bellowed at the Chairman. "Did you figure out how to release the command?!" He yelled, slamming his hands onto Kaien's desk, making the blonde flinch. He was pissed. Not only was he pissed but he was dead tired since he didn't get any sleep the previous night. Hunter had a nightmare and there was nothing he could do to wake her up from it. He went as far as pouring ice cold water on her face.

Hunter watched Zero fume. In some ways he looked scary when he was like that but for some reason that didn't bother her. Nor did it scare her. She knew it should, but it just didn't.

"Calm down, Kiriyuu-kun, I'm getting there," Headmaster said trying to calm the raging teen. "Then how do I get this off?" the vampire asked pointing at the black band around his wrist. Kaien scratched his head, "well…only I can undo that spell, unfortunately I don't have the proper incantation to undo it…"

This infuriated Zero. That old man was really asking for an early death. Just when he was plotting how to kill Kaien, the office door burst open, revealing Yuuki. The short brunette rushed into the room, her scent overwhelming Zero's sensitive nose. He forgot just how comforting her scent was. "Zero, what's wrong?" she asked in a worried voice, not realizing that Hunter was there too.

He took a deep breath. "Nothing," he said and turned away from her, though what he really wanted to do was hug her and hold her tightly in his arms, never letting her go. Not to that bastard vampire. "C'mon," he said to Hunter and headed out the door. Hunter got up and followed him, not as if she had a choice to begin with.

"Zero!" she heard Yuuki call behind them, but he ignored her and continued walking. "Sorry about last night…" Hunter said tentatively, "you should get some sleep."

He stopped and turned his head around to look at her. Was he hearing emotion in her voice? Probably not, he doubted she was capable of it. "I don't have the time to sleep, I have other things to do." He said in monotone as he resumed walking. Judging by his gait and pace, Hunter could tell he was tired. He was just hiding it. She bit her lip as they continued walking. Undeniably, she did feel bad that he didn't get any sleep because of her. He was also tied to her because of her nightly escapades around the campus.

Zero's hand was suddenly jerked backwards. He looked back to see Hunter standing still behind him. "You need to sleep. I'll wake you up for your perfect duties." She said in a "don't argue with me tone."

Her behavior surprised him. This was the first time he heard fluctuation and emotion in her voice while she was awake. "The world won't end if you ditch one day of school." She said then began dragging him by the very leash they were bound into his room.

Once inside in the bare room, Hunter took a seat on the window ledge and looked out at the early morning sun. Curling her legs into her, she wrapped her arms around them and rested her chin on her knees. "Sleep." She said as her eyes motioned towards his bed. "I'll wake you up."

Reluctantly, Zero lay down on his bed. For some reason he felt as if he couldn't even argue with her. Forget about going against her orders. It felt as if her words controlled him. Made him do things against his will…yet there was nothing he could do. Was this one of her werewolf powers?

Soon after he kicked off his shoes and made himself comfortable, Hunter began humming an eerily soothing melody. The soft vibrations of her vocal chords quickly calmed all racing thoughts and it wasn't long before he drifted off into a deep sleep he very much needed.

* * * * * * * *

"Zero, wake up," a voice called out to him. A soothing voice. Must be Yuuki trying to wake him up. Opening his eyes, he saw Hunter bent above him illuminated by the setting sun. "You have perfect duty." She said reminding him of all the things he hated. Not saying a word, he sat up in his bed as she took a step back then headed back to the window sitting back the way she did when he fell asleep. Did she sit there like that while he slept?

"Chairman Cross was here while you were asleep. He told me to give you this." Hunter said as she handed him an envelope as they left his room. Zero shrugged and shoved it in his pocket. He had something else to do.

When the unlikely pair reached the gates to the Moon Dorms, many day-class girls shot them strange looks. Some whispered amongst them, asking questions, spreading rumors – the usual when something strange happens. The strange in this case was Hunter being by the gates with Zero. That girl never came down there when the night-class got out, so her being there was one thing that was strange. What made it stranger was that she was there with Zero and they were unnaturally close for their personalities and relationship status. Hence why everyone was confused…

Nonetheless, all the attention left them when the gates creaked open, revealing the white uniforms of the night-class students. The vampires walked gracefully through the crowd of humans. Hunter watched as Zero scared the girls away from the celebrity-like students with just a glare.

"Hunter-chan!" suddenly came a voice that Hunter recognized as Aido's. The blonde came barreling towards her with a child-like grin on his face before tackling her into a bear hug. "We haven't seen you all week!" he said as he continued to squeeze the life out of her. "She can't breathe you idiot!" Zero growled as he ripped the shorter vampire off her.

"Looks like Yuuki-chan's not the only one hated here now," came Kain's voice as he looked over all the glaring girls, their death glares all directed at Hunter. "What do you guys want from Hunter?" Zero asked annoyed. Last thing he wanted was to deal with jealous fan girls.

"That's rude, you can't hog Hunter-chan all to yourself, Kiriyuu," Aido said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I was just happy to see Hunter-chan, that's all…" Hanabusa said. _And because her blood smells delicious…_he mentally added in an afterthought.

"So are you going to the dance, Hunter-chan?" Aido asked, thinking it might be the perfect opportunity to score a taste of that wolf blood of hers, hoping it tasted as good as it smelled.

"I don't know…" Hunter replied though she knew that at this rate she had no choice since she couldn't get away from Zero.

"Akatsuki, Aido…" Kaname called the two vampires interrupting their conversation. "We have to go, see you around." Kain said as he turned around. "Hope to see you at the dance tomorrow night," he added looking over his shoulder. "Bye Hunter-chan!" Aido said waving from Kain's side.

"Sheesh…" Zero said as he looked down, hands shoved in his pockets. "Everyone, back to your rooms! It's past your curfew!" he bellowed at the glaring and whispering day-class girls. Several shrieks and whines later, all the commotion died down and Hunter was once again left alone with Zero. An uncomfortable silence fell upon them.

_The letter_…Zero remembered and dug out the white envelope from his pocket. Initially he completely forgot about the thing. He took out the note and scanned the neatly written words:

_Glad to see you're getting along so well with each other. To release the stop command you simply need to say "release" and it will do so. Sorry for forgetting that crucial part. ~Kaien_

Zero muttered an incoherent curse. "Walk away until you're as far as you can go," he ordered Hunter. She did as she was told to, unsure of what he was going to do. Whatever it was, by the look of his expression, it would be better to be away from him as far as possible.

When the leash was at its limit, Zero lifted his violet eyes at Hunter. "Release," he said and the tension instantly eased. "Try walking further," he said and easily enough, she was free to walk further away. "C'mon, let's go back." He said and headed towards the main building muttering incoherent curses under his nose. All Hunter caught was something about "kill, old man, stupid," or something along those lines. Surely enough, she did feel a tad bit stupid for not thinking of this herself, but then again it wasn't her job to think about things like that.

* * * * *

"Huunteerrr-chaaannn!!!" Aido yelled as he broke into Hunter's room like a mad wildebeest on steroids. She lifted her glacier eyes questioning his behavior and sanity. "You need to go to the dance!" he said as he grabbed her hand and dragged her out of her bed, making her drop the book she was reading, not even giving her a chance to protest. Hunter still had no idea what made this dance so important.

He suddenly began rummaging through her clothes, wildly throwing them around her room. "Ooh, cute!" he said as he picked up a pair of black lace boy shorts and held on to them as he fished out a matching bra then shoved them into her hands. Hunter looked at him confused. Her eyes widened a bit when he noticed the box with the dress that Sister Katherine sent her.

Instead of tossing it aside as Hunter hoped he would, Aido ripped open the box and grinned, then shoved the dress into her hands. "Now go shower and get dressed!" He said all too excited for her liking. She yelped as he pushed her out of her room and continued to push her towards the bathroom. "Shower!" he said as he gave her the final shove into the bathroom, shutting the door in her face. _Don't I have a say in this?_ She thought with an angry tick on her face as she glared at the door.

On the other side of the door, Hanabusa leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "At this rate, I can see you sending her a billet-doux for Valentine's…" came Kain's nonchalant voice. Aido laughed, "I'm always the one receiving all the love letters, not the other way around," he said thinking of all the lively girls and their tasty blood. He could care less about confessions and chocolate. For him blood was a better gift than chocolate.

"Well, I'm going to head to the party, don't have too much fun," Kain said in the same tone, though Aido could hear the underlying warning underneath his friend's words. What Kain really meant was "don't you dare go drinking her blood, because Kaname will rip out your fangs." How cruel. This rule shouldn't apply to Hunter seeing as she wasn't human. He sighed, deciding to listen to what Hunter was doing behind those doors.

* * * * * * * *

"You look great!" Hanabusa mused as he looked over Hunter. The midnight blue silk dress contrasted with her ivory skin and accentuated the iciness of her diamond eyes that were outlined with a fine line of black eyeliner and mascara. The haltered part of the dress molded well with the black collar around her neck and applied emphasis to her ample chest then brought down the focus on her waist. Her whole back was bare, to the lowest possible point before revealing too much. Judging by how perfectly the dress fit, it must have been custom tailored just for her.

The dress didn't reach the ground as it ended just a bit below her knees in the front and almost down at her ankles in the back. The shape and flare of the skirt adding a little bit of spunk to the simple top. He handed her a pair of silver heels that tied around her calf up to her knee. But there was still something missing, something off.

The blonde vampire took a step back and eyed the beauty before him. Her looks beat some of the noble vampire beauties hands down. Too bad she didn't seem to have much of a personality. Ah, but if he was right about this then he was in for a treat. Scrutinizing the tiniest details wasn't going to give him his answer he realized. The shoes and the dress were perfect. Much to his dislike he couldn't take off her collar to replace it with a silver pendant but he did manage to get a silver diamond choker over it. In fact, the black satin choker made the silver stand out more.

Hunter felt uncomfortable under his scrutinizing eyes. What else did he want her to do? If he wasn't one of the guys that saved her a while back she probably would have already kicked him upside the head and out the window. But respect and politeness always came first. At least that's what Sister Katherine taught her, but in situations like these she wondered if it was okay to use a little non-ladylike violence.

Aido snapped his fingers, "ah!" he said as if he just discovered a new continent. Hunter's muscles instinctively tensed when he walked up to her and tousled her hair a bit, giving it that messy yet sexy look. "Where's your lip gloss?" he asked her as he fixed some final strands. "In there," she said pointing at her makeup bag.

He picked out a lightly pink tinted gloss and applied to her lips. _You know I can do that myself…_Hunter thought as she massaged her lips against each other to settle the lip gloss.

With a final step back, Aido eyed his masterpiece. Now Hunter was absolutely flawless in his eyes. If she were a vampire he probably would have even considered pursuing her, but his fear of Kaname's rage and the fact that the pureblood would more than likely rip his stomach out through his anus for dating a werewolf, he figured it'd be best to just stay friends with Hunter. For some reason he felt that Kaname wasn't too fond of little Hunter-chan before him.

He shrugged the thought off and held out his arm to Hunter for her to take it. "Let's go to the dance," he said with a smile.

* * * * * * * *

Over the loud music, the whispers echoed along with nasty comments that rooted from jealousy. Many girls sent death glares in Hunter's direction as she gracefully made her steps next to Aido, her hand on his arm. Surely, this was the last thing she wanted. If Aido hadn't used the fact that he saved her once with Kain, this would have been the last place on earth that one might find her. _Sneaky little bastard_…she thought while fighting to keep herself composed.

Kain immediately spotted the two and headed over to them. "May I steal your date temporarily?" he asked Aido with a smile that could have meant a million things. "Just don't forget to give her back," the shorter vampire said as he handed Hunter's hand over to Kain.

She might look like a doll but she surely didn't like being treated as one. Hunter reluctantly took Kain's hand as he lead her off to the side, away from the murderous glares of jealous girls. "Seriously, why does she get them all to herself? What's so special about her?" he heard one of them say.

The girl's words made him look down at the much shorter girl, trying to see her from a human perspective and not as a werewolf. _Well…besides the obvious, like her hourglass figure, full chest, nicely curved hips, beautiful face, soft shiny black hair and silky soft skin, she definitely has unique eyes…_he thought. _Maybe she has a good personality too…_

Unfortunately just like anyone else who has met Hunter so far, he had no clue what kind of person she was. Sometimes he even doubted she had a personality, seeing as she let them do whatever they wanted with her.

Hunter scanned the crowd, completely ignoring Kain. In the distance she noticed Aido flirting with a large group of girls, making them go "kyaa" and blush madly. To her right she saw a number of night class students being swarmed by the day class and far off to her left she saw Zero scanning the crowd like a sentinel. Must be a part of his perfect job.

A new song came over the speakers. Akatsuki immediately recognized the tune and turned to Hunter, "would you like to dance, milady?"

The wolf looked up at him slightly confused. "What kind of dance?" she asked as she listened to the beat. "How about a Paso Doble?" he asked with a mischievous grin. Hunter mirrored his grin, "with pleasure."

If his judgment was right, this dance wasn't going to be a disappointment.

His hands found their rightful spots on her body as he pulled her out to the dance floor, the skirt of her dress trailing behind them like a smooth wave of midnight blue. When they stopped, he looked deeply into her eyes and their bodies began to move to the beat, the steps being sharp and their moves powerful.

During the walk, her hips did a twist with each step, making it step, twist, step, twist, step twist. Then he spun her, she arched her back and threw her head back. Back to the walk, step, twist, step, twist, and a high straight kick. Heads turning, they spun around once more before he dipped her low to the ground making her do a horizontal split before picking her back up again, twisting her body once more.

Now he spun her repeatedly across the floor before they resumed traveling across the floor. When Kain glanced down at Hunter he saw her smiling brightly for the first time. So this was her passion. Ballroom dancing.

Zero watched from the sidelines as Hunter's back arched as if in slow motion before her feet travelled once again across the marble floor. Akatsuki was throwing her around like a matador's cape, which was expected in a Paso Doble. Usually the woman acts as either the bull or the cape, but she can also do both within the dance. In this case, Kain was the matador and Hunter was his cape.

The way their bodies moved was graceful and smooth, yet powerful in technique and emotion. It is something that many professional ballroom dancers strive for and spend endless hours practicing in a studio. But these two – that's their first time dancing together. Talk about raw talent.

Suddenly the beat of the song changed and Kain slid Hunter under his legs and across the floor. Just as expected, Aido popped up on cue and picked her up flawlessly, sliding her up against his body up to his face, their noses touching. With the changed beat of the bridge of the song he changed the dance from Paso Doble to a quick Samba.

They tore away from each other but continued to hold hands as they did a quick combination of hip movements before Hanabusa spun her again. She then placed her hand on his chest with her arm straight keeping the distance between them as they travelled. Hunter's hips moved smoothly during the walk, her steps perfect. Hanabusa then grabbed the sides of her face and tilted her head back while she placed her hands on his hips and did a perfect cyclone with her body. The sensual move making every man's eyes glued to her hips. Even Zero had his eyes glued to her hips as she dipped into another cyclone, before coming back up.

Travelling again, Hunter spun and placed her leg around his waist, her back towards him. Aido then spun them together before releasing her and grabbing onto her hips. Hunter then moved her hips like a belly dancer, Aido moving with her, his chest against her back. By then many girls were blushing along with the guys. Zero couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was just no way, this was possible. No way that ballroom dancing was what made Hunter come alive. But then again he really didn't know her and this was the first time he saw her so alive. It was the first time anyone saw the sparkle in her eyes and the smile on her face that wasn't faked.

Hunter put her hand behind Aido's neck and they moved together, he then dipped her backwards, brought her back up and spun her outwards just as the bridge of the song ended. At the same time Kain took hold of her hand and took over as her dancing partner returning to the powerful Paso Doble they begun with. Hunter wrapped her legs around his waist and leaned backwards as he held on to her hands and spun them around as if he would spin a cape.

When she came back up, she let go of him but their bodies stayed touching, as he lead a few turns then lifted her leg by placing his hand at the back of her thigh then slowly ran it upwards, straightening her leg up into a perfect vertical split as she arched her back.

The song ended and Kain was holding onto her ankle, keeping her in a vertical split, her back arched against his other arm. He grinned.

"That was fun," she said through heavy breaths, mirroring his grin. He let her go as Aido walked up to them with a big grin on his face. "I didn't know you guys knew how to dance, at least not ballroom dance," Hunter said to the two vampires. "We're nobles, we have to know how to ballroom dance," Aido replied, eyeing her jugular and feeling hungry.

"Then how did you know I could dance?" she asked, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. "It was easy to tell because of how you carry yourself. You have the posture of a dancer," Kain said giving her the answer. "Ah, but now you have many new enemies and admirers, Hunter-chan," Aido said as he eyed the menacing atmosphere of all the day-girls there. "Oh great, thanks guys…" Hunter said sarcastically, feeling giddy for once. "I need some fresh air, thanks for the dance," she added, before turning away from the two vampires. "The pleasure is ours," Kain said with a small smirk. They were anything but disappointed.

* * * * * * * *

Her heels clicked against the cobblestone walkway and the breeze cooled her heated skin. It's been a very long time since she had danced like that. It was fun, even though she was going to be hated by just about every girl in the school. Seriously, what's wrong with just dancing with them? She wondered as she lifted her gaze to the midnight blue sky that matched her silk dress.

The dark sky was littered with silver stars and a bright full moon. There wasn't a single cloud. Hunter grinned, she was feeling really giddy like never before and didn't know why. Humming to herself, she walked up to a fountain and sat on its edge, running her hand through the water. The water felt pleasantly cool against her fingertips.

Steps in the distance caught her attention. Lifting her gaze, her Husky eyes met a pair of violet ones. It was Zero.

"Hey," she greeted, though he didn't say anything. Just gave her his usual blunt stare. "You should go back to the dance," he finally said after a few seconds of silence.

"Mmm, why should I Mr. Perfect?" Hunter asked, feeling daring. Once again, not knowing why. She bit her lip to keep herself from smiling. Zero was too serious for his own good.

"Don't make me force you to go back…" he said dryly, though her liveliness intrigued him. It was as if her personality did a one-eighty within the span of one song. It was a pleasant change from the emotionless doll he was used to seeing. It made her human. She's a werewolf…his subconscious stabbed at his thoughts. He lifted his gaze to the clear night sky. The moon was full. Is that why she's so energetic? He wondered.

"Ooh," Hunter mused, "fine, if you can catch me I'll go back to the dance!" She laughed and took off running into the night.

"Tch, damn werewolf…" Zero muttered annoyed under his breath and took off after Hunter.

Wait, why the hell am I chasing her? I have the leash…

"Stop!" he yelled, activating the invisible leash that the Chairman bound them with. Unfortunately he didn't notice she was in mid air jumping over a small pond. Hunter was pulled backwards in mid air and fell into the pond with a splash! And as if that wasn't bad enough, the leash dragged him down with her.

Hunter resurfaced and laughed when Zero's wet head popped up from underwater as well, an irritated look on his face.

A déjà vu hit Zero as he recalled being in a similar pond with Yuuki a while back. Hunter noticed the look on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked, but got no reply. "Zero….hello?" she tried again but nothing. He seemed to be off in some sort of a daze. Throwing caution to the wind, she got closer to him and licked the side of his face like a dog would.

"What the –?" he asked startled, looking at her. She laughed again and pushed herself out of the water onto the edge. "What the what?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"That…" he said with a purely confused look on his face, pointing at the bushy but wet black tail that was sticking out from under the skirt of her dress.

"Huh?" Hunter looked at what he was pointing at and screamed.

* * *

Uh oh...

P.S. If you're wondering where Kaname or Yuuki were during the dance then I'll tell you that they weren't there to watch. They were off somewhere being Yuuki and Kaname XP

* * *


	11. Damn Dog

**Note: Ah, finally an update! Sorry it took so long to get it out (again) but Christmas time = busy time. It's longer than average but not as long as the last one. Shorter chapters mean frequent updates but after long waits like these I owe you guys a longer chapter. I also started writing another story - it's not a fanfiction. It's an original, and I'm thinking of actually showing it off once I get some decent progress on it. Right now I'm still in the basic works of creating my characters and thinking where I'm gonna take the story. Anyway, Merry late Christmas and a late Happy New Year. **

**P.S. There might be some mistakes so I apologize in advance. **

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-11: Damn Dog-**

"_I can lick your face,  
I can bite it too,  
Ooh my teeth got rabies,  
I'm gonna give it to you,  
Gotta taste for flesh,  
Gotta taste for danger,  
Feed me, feed me  
Can't you hear me howl?  
Feed me,  
Cos I'm a damned dog now!"_

-Manic Street Preachers: Damn Dog

"I'm not a dog, I'm not a dog, I'm not a dog…" Hunter chanted to herself like a mantra as she paced the Chairman's office. She looked over at her black tail, "I'm a dog!" she wailed like an insane person. "No, you're not a dog. You're a werewolf…" Zero said bluntly. He was getting irritated with her pacing. At this rate she might even leave a trail of worn out carpet in Kaien's office. "That's still canine species!" she retorted frustrated, pointing an angry finger at him.

After discovering her new body part, her and Zero went straight to the Headmaster's office, startling the older man. Once they explained the situation Cross harshly ordered them to go shower and change before they catch a cold. _As if that really mattered!_ Hunter thought angrily recalling the events. By then a set of sharp black claws also emerged from her small hands and refused to go away.

"There's still a big difference between _canis lupus_ and _canis lupus familiaris_," Zero said calmly, hoping she'd stop calling herself a dog. "Well aren't you smart? Wanna cookie?" she retorted sarcastically before pivoting away from him.

Hunter stopped in front of Chairman and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You knew I was this thing the whole time, didn't you?"

He nodded solemnly not looking up from an old book on mythical creatures. Yes, he knew, and now he didn't know whether it was a good thing or not. Judging by the swirling silver fury in her eyes he settled on the "not good."

"Who else knows I'm this _dog thing_?" she asked with a slight menacing growl. "A few others…" Kaien replied unfazed by the threat in her growl. "And for the last time, you're not a dog or a thing. You're a descendant of a demigod wolf…" he added tiredly in an afterthought.

"Demigod wolf or plain dog – it doesn't matter. Who else knows?" she asked irked that he was avoiding the question.

Kaien sighed and looked up from his book, placing both elbows on his desk and resting his chin on his hands. "Kiriyuu-kun, Akatsuki, Aido and Sister Katherine," he replied dropping their names, figuring it was no use in lying to her.

Her eyes flashed even brighter fueled by anger as she dragged a clawed hand through the concrete wall, leaving deep creases. She felt betrayed. They all knew what she was this entire time and left her in the dark. She threw a hateful glare at Zero then resumed her pacing, silently fuming inside and plotting their deaths.

"If we would have told you before you wouldn't have believed us." Kaien said quietly as he resumed skimming through the book, not wanting to drag any unwanted attention to himself. Those claws didn't look too friendly.

Hunter threw a quick glance at him. "Whatever." She said hating the fact that he was right. She wouldn't have believed them. Not in a million years.

Zero eyed her with mild amusement. This was the first time she was so alive and so animated since she had arrived at the Cross Academy. It all really started back at the dance. He was still somewhat shocked at how alive she became when she danced with Akatsuki.

An image of Aido holding low onto her hips then pulling her towards his and moving with her flashed in his mind. _And those daring moves!_ It was as if he watched her transform from a mute porcelain doll into a seductress within seconds. He recalled the moment when Akatsuki gracefully pulled her leg up, tracing his hand starting from her thigh and ending on her ankle. He could still clearly see in his mind how her back arched in that position, how close their faces were – and the look they exchanged. Almost as if they were lovers.

The audacity of that look made him wonder what Hunter really did when she snuck out before. Was she secretly seeing Kain? There had to be something between them for such intimacy. But why did it bother him? He barely knew her.

Eyeing her pace with her tail swishing from side to side, he noted that she was taking in the news much better than he did when he first found out that he was something other than human. If he recalled correctly, when he got turned into a vampire by Shizuka he wanted to kill himself. Yes, at least Hunter was taking the news better than he did.

Hunter stopped and tugged at her tail. "How do you make this thing go away?" she asked aloud pulling at the soft tail. "That's what I'm trying to figure out…" Kaien said looking up tiredly from a dusty book. He was on his twentieth book since they came to him with the furry little problem. She tugged harder but nothing happened. She pulled out a hair from the tail and winced at the pain. It was real. There was no mistake in that. The pain proved it.

She dropped her tail and wagged it from side to side. The glossy black tail moved with a silent _swish_. Hunter sighed tiredly and slouched her shoulders. "This is a nightmare…" she mumbled walking up to the window and looking out at the full moon. Regardless of the situation the moon made her feel a bit giddy inside.

"How about you go to bed and call it a night? We can discuss this matter tomorrow," Kaien said interrupting her reverie. She jumped slightly in her skin at the sudden interruption. "But I'm not tired," she protested after collecting her thoughts. Cross glanced out the window at the full moon. Of course she wouldn't be tired. Not on a full moon. "Kiriyuu-kun, take Hunter-chan for a walk. I think it'd help her clear her mind…" he said nonchalantly as he put yet another book away before picking up another dusty volume.

"I'm not a dog, I can walk myself." Hunter protested as she headed for the door. "Yes, but it's way past the Academy's curfew for day-students so I'm not letting you out there alone." Chairman replied matter-of-factly.

Hunter growled and headed for the door not looking back. _Bastards_…she grumbled mentally as she briskly walked down the dark hallway.

"Keep an eye on her." Cross said not looking up from his book. Zero glanced at him and gave him a small nod before heading out after the wolf.

* * * * * * *

The cool crisp night air hit her in a pleasant wave as she stepped out into the darkness. Being outside was much better than being inside. She was beginning to feel stuffy in the Chairman's office so this was a nice change. Taking in another deep breath she let it out in a big sigh of content when she heard footsteps behind her.

Looking over her shoulder she spotted Zero. "Seriously, I don't need a babysitter…" she grumbled turning away from him. "Orders are orders," he replied nonchalantly as he walked down the steps, stopping at her side. Hunter flashed him an annoyed glare. Zero stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

"Sure they are," she said. "That's all you ever do – take orders."

He looked at her with blank eyes not responding to her biting remark. Of course, what else could she have possibly expected from him? Absolutely nothing. It wasn't as if she wanted him to be some rebellious punk, but not having any dignity, or esteem for that matter, was unnerving to her. The guy just didn't care about himself or his own well being. He did what he was told to – just like a dog.

"Zero?" came another voice. It belonged to Yuuki. They both turned to look at her. She was still in her gown, though the dance was long over. Hunter instinctively turned around to face her and hide her tail as well as her claws. The brunette didn't need to see what she really was. No one did.

The vampire's eyes softened when they fell upon the short girl, making Hunter roll hers. How cheesy, she thought glancing away.

"What are you doing out here? It's late," Yuuki stated, utterly oblivious to what was going on. _Ignorance is bliss, isn't it? _Hunter eyed the girl from her peripheral vision. She was so naïve. So innocent. A part of Hunter envied that innocent ignorance of hers but if she had to weigh what she was and what Yuuki was she'd rather be herself. That girl seemed to be a trouble magnet despite her innocence.

"Ah, nothing…" Zero said not knowing what to say.

Yep, he was a dog. A dog that hated himself for wanting to wag his tail when he saw Yuuki – the one he loved. Hunter was well aware of the fact that the silver-haired man next to her was infatuated with the short brunette. The way he looked at her betrayed him.

Not like she cared whether he liked someone or not. It was none of her business as far as she was concerned. But the fact that this self-loathing _slave_ was always around her did. She took another glance at Zero then at Yuuki.

"Well don't stay out too late," the girl said a little too chirpily for her then left. Hunter hoped he'd follow her but no such luck.

He was still there, his expression as emotionless as ever, yet his eyes betraying him. The haunted depths of his eyes stared after Yuuki longingly and she knew he was somewhere off in a far place.

Hunter growled in annoyance and took off in a brisk pace. Zero snapped back into reality and followed keeping a ten foot distance. She kept on glancing back at him getting irritated with his presence, picking up her pace with each glance until she was full out running. The wind whipped her long hair around ruthlessly as she zoomed through the forested grounds of the Cross Academy.

Zero was keeping up with her though he noticed that Hunter was now much faster than a human. If he wasn't a vampire there was no way he'd be able to keep up with her.

She jumped over a hedge, climbed up a tree then launched herself off a branch onto a balcony and out of his sight. His eyes darted about after her before following her scent up the balcony. "Damn that wolf!" he cursed under his breath as he heaved himself up then resumed chasing her full speed.

* * * * * * *

Aido's ears perked up. "What was that?" he asked looking around the dark dorm. "Hm?" Akatsuki wondered aloud as he glanced out the window. Within seconds they saw Hunter barreling through the balcony and a second or two later Kiriyuu running after her cussing under his nose. The vampires were stunned into a silence.

"What did we just see?" Aido asked utterly confused.

* * * * * * *

Her boots thudded against the railing as she pushed herself off, her muscles springing and launching her into the air. She caught onto a tree trunk, her claws digging in deep before kicking off again and landing on another balcony. When she landed she saw a pair of shoes. Her eyes trailed up a pair of white pants and jacket to a face. It was familiar, the brown hair, the arrogant stare, she's seen this person before.

Another thud sounded behind her.

"Kaname…" Zero said in a low voice, glaring at the pureblood before him. "Kiriyuu," Kuran countered in an almost mocking way. Hunter curled her tail behind her in hopes of hiding it along with her clawed hands. Judging by the tension in the air it was obvious that the two men hated each other. For what reason was none of her concern, but this seemed to be a good opportunity to sneak away from Zero.

Tip toeing around them she slipped away back into the darkness. All Zero saw was a black blur of her hair and she was gone. _Damn her!_ He thought angrily. _Does she ever tire of running?_

"Looks like you have your hands full tonight, Kiriyuu-kun," Kaname said mockingly, knowing it would grate the vampire's nerves.

Zero would have loved to rip Kaname's throat out right about now but he knew that Hunter was his priority at the moment. In truth, he hated that too. Always following the damn wolf around and having her play on his nerves like a master violinist and getting away with it. Oh, did it drive him nuts. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. They were also magically tied together by that damn old man.

An idea sparked in his mind. He felt stupid for not thinking of this earlier. Flashing a final glare at the pureblood he jumped off the balcony and ran after Hunter until she was once again in his sight. Once he got within ten feet of her he yelled, "stop!"

In an instant Hunter was roughly yanked backwards. She lost her balance and fell down into an ungraceful heap with a _thud_, followed by an _ouch_. Rubbing her neck she stood up and glared at him.

"What-the-hell?!?!" she exploded. "Who the FUCK you think you are? 'Orders are orders' ne, ne, ne!" she mocked. "Always following, always doing what you're told! You're just like an annoying horsefly buzzing around my ass!" Yelling might have not been in her nature, seeing as she generally was quiet, but this did it. Hunter was beyond pissed off with having been kept in the dark, lied to, betrayed, and watched like a convict in a maximum security prison.

Since she had arrived at Cross Academy it was the same thing every day. Getting up every morning, putting on the same looking clothes, going to the same classes, doing everything she did the day before, and being watched by _him_. Like he was her personal body guard that she never wanted.

The wind suddenly felt colder and harsher as it violently whipped her hair against her face. But the pain it caused didn't dissolve her hateful glare. Zero watched as she threw her rightful tantrum, knowing he well deserved to be cussed and yelled at. Of course it was a bit strange to see a young girl curse so much, yet nonetheless he dealt with it. He was in no position to point out her foul language.

"And look!" Hunter lifted her hands towards him. "I'm standing here, cussing you out and you just take it with that emotionless face. You take it just like everything else and it _pisses me off_. You let people walk all over you all the time. Were those orders too? Hm?" She started pacing in front of him, running an angry hand through her disheveled hair.

_Stop while you're ahead_, she thought but there was no way she was going to stop now. "You love Yuuki, don't you? It's obvious. Yet you do nothing. Just watch that arrogant bastard play with her right in front of your eyes. You're pathetic. Want a piece of advice? Quit crying over whatever it is you're crying and quit pitying yourself…it won't change a thing. In the end you'll be left alone," she took in a deep breath then heaved it out with a big sigh. "And stop following me around!"

Hunter took off running again only to be thrown back roughly due to the restraints. She grunted in pain as the band around her neck dug into her skin. "Let me go…" she growled angrily from the ground. "No," he replied icily.

"Fine, wanna treat me like a dog? You're gonna get one then," she growled from the ground before jumping upwards and sprinting ahead. She was using all her strength, anger and adrenaline to fight the restraints and the pain the collar was causing her.

Zero almost lost his footing as the binding painfully jerked his wrist when Hunter took off. He was now running after her, the short distance between them making him trip over things while she dragged him. So this was the strength that Cross was talking about when he talked about werewolves. Yes, that ridiculous strength that was dragging him through the grounds like a toy.

Mind busy with thoughts on stopping the wolf, the vampire didn't notice an oncoming tree. The lack of attention causing him to hit the thick trunk head on, planting his cheek against the rough tree bark momentarily before his whole body was yanked painfully again. Zero moaned in pain as the skin on his cheek received deep burns. _This has to stop_, he thought, his mind still hazy from the collision as he stumbled over his own feet. He knew that if he were to fall now he would not have a chance to regain footing until Hunter was done with her rampage. If that were really to happen, he'd get dragged by her like a convict by a horse in a Western-style movie.

But this wasn't a Western movie and he still had his footing. Shaking his mind clear he concentrated on running, trying to catch up with her. With every step closer he whispered "stop," making the leash shorter and shorter until he was right on her heels. Throwing caution to the wind, he tackled her, making them both tumble down on dew covered grass.

He did it. He stopped her.

Hunter struggled under his weight, her eyes swirling with silver fury as she tried to free herself. "Let go! Let go!" she yelled between threatening growls. "Will you quit it?!" He snapped picking her up by her wrists before slamming her back down into the ground. Her body thudded against the soil.

She stopped struggling momentarily as the air was knocked out of her lungs. Zero heaved above her trying to catch his own. Running with the wolves was definitely not for vampires.

"Don't you two look cute," came Aido's sarcastic remark, a smirk plastered across his face. Hunter threw a brief glare at him to notice he was with Kain, before turning her head away from them. She was pissed at them too.

Zero lifted himself off her, but with the binding being so short he ended up lifting her up by her neck as well. Hunter's face contorted slightly in pain but she didn't make a sound. "Sorry," Zero said before commanding the binding to release her. She fell back down limply onto her side, giving them no signs of cooperation.

"What did you do to her?" Kain asked keeping his distance. Zero threw a quick glance at the noble before pointing to her tail. The two vampires mouthed a silent _ah_ when they noticed the silky black tail that snaked out from under her skirt.

"Hunter-chaaaan, what's that black furry thing attached to you??" Aido teased hoping to get a reaction from the wolf, but to no avail. She lay there unmoving giving them the silent treatment. In truth she was tired. Dragging Zero while the band cut into her neck was starting to take its toll on her now but there was no way she was going to let them see her fatigue. She still had enough energy to go for another free run, given that Kiriyuu wasn't going to pull on the leash.

They all stood there in the dark. The wind subsided, now only slightly swaying the treetops surrounding them. It wasn't cold but it definitely wasn't warm either. Kain sighed, "c'mon, Hunter, please get up," he said pleading with the werewolf but once again received no response.

He crouched down beside her with her back still facing him. Lifting a hand, he gently brushed some wild strands of hair out of her face, making her flinch. Hunter didn't expect that. "You'll catch a cold…" he said quietly in a warm voice trying to coax her into cooperation. Unfortunately Hunter had no intention of cooperating with the ones that betrayed her. Not for all the tea in China.

All three of them knew what she was way before she did and said nothing. Was that why they gave her all this attention before? Just because of what she was? Did that mean they didn't care who she was? In her mind it rang true. Of course they wouldn't care about her or her personality. They knew nothing about her so it made perfect sense. Why else would they shower her with so much attention? All that mattered to them was that she was a descendant of some freakish demigod wolf named Hati.

Kain exchanged a hopeless look with the other two vampires. Hunter was irrationally reckless and stubborn to the point that no amount of coaxing was going to get her off that ground. He let out another sigh and lifted her bridal style. "I don't care what you're mad about, but I'm not letting you catch a cold."


	12. Our Little Secret

**Note: Sorry for the waits. Been trying to write longer chapters. **

**Anyway, some things get spiced up a little. I think it's about time. **

**Read and Review. **

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-12: Our Little Secret-**

"_Walking down the road like a thief in the night  
Rain is falling down and I can't see the light  
It's my darkest hour, I feel trouble rise  
I can see the animal, it's deep in your eyes…"_

"Shadow of a Moonless Night" by Grave Digger

Several weeks have passed since that fateful night. Things were fairly normal now. The year was nearing its end and the seasons were on the brink of change from fall to winter. It wouldn't be long before the dirt beneath his feet would freeze. It wouldn't be long before this dull dying grass would be covered with a blanket of pure white snow.

His violet eyes scanned his surroundings when they fell upon a familiar face. _Yuuki…._

The young girl looked angelic in his mind as the cool wind danced with strands of her brown hair while happiness graced her features, its sincerity reaching her beautiful eyes. She turned to look at him. There it all was: the eyes that melted his icy heart, the smile that warmed him, and the touch that had him always yearning for more. If he could only just lose himself in her embrace and forget the world. If only…

The iron gates creaked announcing the most hated part of his day. A sudden burst of "kyaa" penetrated the autumn air, making him wish he had some earplugs. He really had no clue what was so great about those good-for-nothing monsters all the girls were screaming about.

The vampires of Cross Academy walked down the path just like any other day, full of grace and beauty. The day-girls fawned over them like concubines over kings with slight redness gracing their cheeks and flattery falling off their tongues. Such behavior irritated him, but what literally pissed him off was how his beloved Yuuki blushed when that bastard bloodsucker touched her.

Their eyes met briefly, an arrogant and satisfactory look met his irritated one as they brushed past each other. Zero knew that Kaname loved this.

Shoving his feelings aside, he adopted his usual air of nonchalance and an emotionless expression. He couldn't wait for the afternoon ruckus to be over.

* * * * * * *

"I wanna go for a walk," Hunter declared setting down her book and stretching on her bed. Her and Zero were forced to study together after they missed a week of school due to Hunter's little tail problem. Now the tail was gone but no one knew when it would be back. Hunter felt great being herself again, but having to spend most of her waking hours with Zero made things a bit complicated. Even though she was no longer mad at him or anyone else she was never alone. He was even forced to hang out at her room at night while she slept, occasionally rotating with Kain and Aido. The first two weeks were a bit awkward, but now she was used to his presence.

He looked up from his book. Hunter had the weirdest whims from time to time. He wondered if she was mentally stable. One time she woke him up in the middle of the night because she decided she wanted to eat some ice cream. He let out a tired sigh, if he doesn't walk her now she'll be pacing all night. During times like these with the feeding and walking he felt as if he was taking care of a dog.

"Fine, let's go," Zero said closing his book and getting up. He shrugged on his uniform jacket and shoved his hands in his pockets as he watched Hunter scramble from her bed to put on her boots.

"Aren't you going to be cold?" he asked when she didn't put on her uniform jacket. "Nah," she replied confidently but wasn't entirely sure of her response. In truth, Hunter didn't really like wearing the uniform jacket and especially the red bow that came with it. She never wore the red bow with her uniform to begin with.

They walked in silence down the dark hallways, their even footsteps being the only sound echoing off the walls. Even though they were on good terms their conversations were limited. They never went deeper than a casual exchange nor did they indulge in deep philosophical discussions. There was no need. Neither of the two was excessively talkative to begin with.

"Ah! Kiriyuu-kun! Hunter-chan! I was looking for you two!" came Chairman's cheery voice as he approached them. _Well, he's got great timing_…Hunter thought eyeing the older man.

"I need you kids to get me some provisions from the nearby town. Here's the money and a list of the things I need. Well then, don't have too much fun!" Kaien said chirpily as usual and turned on his heel not giving them a chance to protest.

"Tch, that old man…" Zero muttered annoyed under his nose as he glared after the blonde man's retreating figure.

* * * * * * *

"Are you sure you're not cold?" Zero asked her as they walked side by side down the cobblestone streets. "Un," she voiced in response. She wasn't cold, not yet at least. "What else do we have to get for Headmaster?" She asked changing the subject.

"Uh…some fresh vegetables from the market, some herbs, and holy water?" His brows furrowed in confusion at the last item. Hunter shrugged, "let's get it then."

Walking into the market it became painfully obvious that all eyes were on them. "Uwah, look at that girl! She's so beautiful!" some older woman whispered to her friend, "but what is she doing with a man like him?" her companion asked.

"Is she a celebrity?" someone whispered. "She's wearing the Cross Academy uniform….must be from a rich family," someone else said. "I think I've seen her shopping here before," a man said to a short woman.

Hunter ignored all the comments as she was used to this kind of attention. Zero on the other hand was beginning to feel uncomfortable with all eyes being on them. "Hey, Zero, how about we split? I'll go get the vegetables and you can buy the herbs, ne?" she asked unfazed by what was going on. He looked down on her a bit startled. She looked at him with oblivious eyes, "it'll be faster."

Before he could say anything, the raven haired girl pivoted away and was already making her way towards a merchant. _No, we should stick together_ – was what he wanted to say but he couldn't get the words to come out.

Hunter eyed the fresh tomatoes and picked out a few. "I'd like to take these," she said to the merchant. The old man gave her a small smile, making the wrinkles on his weathered face deeper. With rough hands he took the vegetables from her delicate ones and weighed them.

A group of three young men sauntered over to her, their attitudes brimming with confidence.

"Hey little lady, you cooking dinner for your boyfriend tonight?" one of them asked with a cigarette in his mouth. Hunter shook her head, "nope."

"Then that guy over there isn't your boyfriend?" another one, much shorter than the smoker asked. The stench of liquor wafted over to her nose as he leaned in closer. Hunter wasn't afraid of the drunken men, this wasn't the first time she's encountered such types and she knew it wasn't going to be the last.

The wolf once again shook her head no.

The three exchanged looks followed by smiles.

"Here you go miss," the old farmer said handing her a bag with the tomatoes in it. "Can I interest you in anything else?" he asked politely.

She turned her attention towards him briefly and smiled, "I'd like some carrots, parsley leaves, and some of those leeks over there," she said pointing at the mentioned items.

"Since you're not cooking dinner, how about you come and hang out with us, little lady?" the smoker asked while the other two grinned stupidly. "Yeah, we'll play some games and have a lot of fun," said the third. His breath smelled even more like alcohol than the others. Hunter smiled uneasily trying not to sound rude, "well, I really can't…" she said hesitantly, knowing that if she goes anywhere without supervision she can kiss any sort of freedom in the future goodbye. Plus these men were drunk perverts. Not the type anyone would want to hang out with.

"Aw, why not?" they whined disappointed, "c'mon it'll be fun!"

"Because she's going home with me," came Zero's icy voice as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Hunter jumped slightly and looked up at him. "Zero!" she said genuinely surprised.

"Here you go miss," the merchant said again handing her the vegetables neatly packed in a bag. "Oh, thank you," Hunter said as the weathered man told her the total. "Ah, Zero, I forgot you have the money," she said slipping a hand into his pocket and fishing out his wallet. The touch sent tingles through him but he didn't dare to break eye contact with the three drunken men. They were staring each other down.

The vampire's murderous glare sent shivers of fear down their spines. "S-sorry we bothered you miss," they finally said and turned, running away with their tails between their legs. Hunter stared after them blankly, "geez you're scary," she said after a two second silence.

"All we have left is the holy water, right?" she asked unperturbed by the run in with the three men as they walked away from the market.

"Don't ever do that again," Zero said coldly walking beside her. "Don't do what? Talk to strangers or dig in your pockets?" she asked with a teasing smile. _Both_, he wanted to say but something else rolled off his tongue.

"Every time you step a foot outside the academy grounds you get yourself into trouble, so don't do anything like this again, are we clear?" he said in an aggravated voice. "I don't want to be explaining myself to that old man if something happens to you…" he muttered as they walked.

Hunter snorted with laughter, "because she's going home with me…" she mocked in a deep voice trying to sound manly. Zero threw an annoyed glare at her. She elbowed him playfully. "Haha, sorry, but that was great!" she laughed.

"Aw, are you still mad?" she teased as she stepped in front of him and began walking backwards. "Were these men really that bad?" she asked smiling as she walked backwards. Zero simply glared at her, irritated with her childish behavior. On times like these he preferred the mute porcelain doll she used to be.

She suddenly stopped walking, making him run into her. As they collided she grabbed onto his shoulders and stood up on her toes, planting a soft kiss on his cheek not too far from his lips. Zero's heart skipped a beat and his eyes went wide with shock. Time seemed to have stopped and his face felt on fire. "Thanks," she said turning away with a small smile gracing her lips. "You really saved me back there," she added, unaware of how stunned he was.

"Now let's go get that holy water!" she exclaimed, her voice snapping him out of his shock. _What was that all about? _He wondered, still confused by her action and his own reaction. He touched the spot where she kissed him, still feeling her lips against his skin.

"We can cut through this alley to get to the church faster," Hunter said still oblivious to what she has done.

Zero followed her numbly through the dark alley lost in thoughts, trying to make sense of what just happened. Snapping out of it, he looked about and noticed that the sky had turned ominous, foretelling the oncoming of a storm.

"We need to hurry, it's going to rain," he said as he caught up with her. The spot where she kissed him still felt hot but he had to focus and keep his mind clear. It meant nothing, it was just a thank you kiss, yet why did it make him feel this way? Only Yuuki could make him feel like this. Ah, but why did Hunter's lips burn him so much? It must've been because she caught him off guard. Yeah, that was it. There couldn't be anything else.

"Kekeke…"

"What was that?" Hunter asked stopping.

_Shit, level-e vampires_…he thought as he nearly ran into her again. She seriously had to stop doing that. "Get behind me," he said dropping the shopping bags as three level-e vampires jumped down, surrounding them. Hunter took a step back only to have the rough brick wall against her back make itself known.

Zero pulled out Bloody Rose just in time as the level-e on his left jumped to attack. He shot the vampire while it was in mid air when the second one attacked. Twisting the gun in his hand skillfully he shot the second vampire but didn't have the chance to take out the third one as it attacked at the same time. Suddenly Hunter jumped out in front of him with her arms crossed shielding her face. The level-e bit viciously into her pale arm making her yelp.

Pulling the trigger, he shot the vampire turning it into dust. "Idiot! What the hell were you thinking?!" he yelled partially scared but mostly frustrated with her actions. "It's okay, I'm fine," she said hiding her bloody arm behind her back and avoiding his gaze. What she did was reckless and she knew it, but she acted on impulse and there was no way he'd understand that.

A sudden breeze flew past, lifting some dead leaves into a dance before dropping them down and moving on. A single rain droplet fell on Zero's head and slid down his silver hair. Then came the downpour.

"Show me your arm," he said looking at her sternly. "I'm fine," she countered turning away from him. He turned her around, a tad bit too forcefully, and the instant their eyes met he knew why she was avoiding him. Her usually icy-blue eyes were now swirling an intense silver and fangs protruded from her mouth. A tingle of fear swept through him, making him look away.

Taking in a deep breath, Zero took up her arm and examined the bloody mess but it wasn't long before the flesh fibers began reattaching themselves right before his eyes. When the process was done all that remained was the stained and torn sleeve. "I told you I was fine," Hunter said pulling the arm away from him as she returned to her usual self.

Zero's eyes studied her soaked form intently. "What were those things?" she asked eyeing the spots where the level-e vampires once stood. "Vampires…level-e vampires…" he answered knowing it'd be no use saying anything else. Thunder boomed over them and Hunter's cerulean eyes looked up at him quizzically. "I think the Chairman can explain it to you," he offered feeling uncomfortable under her gaze. "C'mon, we're getting soaked here," he added, though it was an understatement – they were already soaked.

They walked in silence, water dripping from their hair, skin and clothes, neither feeling the need for a conversation. Lightning flashed above their heads as they reached an ancient gothic church. Zero pushed open the heavy double doors and stepped inside, the wolf following quietly.

"Oh my!" a monk exclaimed when he saw the two soaked teenagers. Hunter instinctively hid her arm behind her back. Zero pulled out the shopping list Kaien gave them. "We were sent her to retrieve a liter of holy water by Cross Kaien," the vampire stated nonchalantly. The monk eyed them carefully. It wasn't often he received visitors such as them.

Teenagers from the Cross Academy occasionally stopped by, well the ones that shared the Christian faith, but it wasn't often that soaked and tattered ones paid visits. "Ah, of course, please have a seat," the monk said with a small bow and turned on his heel.

Hunter shivered as chills ran down her spine. The wet clothing stuck to her skin and did nothing to warm her. If anything, it was the cause of the cold. This was the first time she was inside a church since the fire. Life at Cross Academy wasn't bad but she missed the orphanage. One would think that children would always hate orphanages, but sometimes it wasn't so. To Hunter the people who she befriended and the ones who raised her were her family. Sister Katherine was like a mother and an older sister she never had. Michelle was her best friend and twin sister she knew she'd never have either.

Her eyes lingered on Zero's back. What was he to her? What was anyone at Cross Academy to her? She looked past him to the ornate altar with a statue of Jesus hanging on a cross above it. His face twisted in agony and a lone painted tear streaking down his glossy porcelain-like skin.

Zero looked down at the shivering girl. Her white shirt had gone see-through and he could clearly see her black brasserie underneath. _Now she's cold,_ he thought and shed his jacket, throwing it over her shoulders. Hunter looked up at him wide eyed with surprise. "Put it on so he won't see your arm," Zero said coldly with his back to her. Hunter pulled the jacket tighter around her and smiled biting her lower lip, "thanks."

His scent washed over her and she found it surprisingly comforting. Even though Zero was a distant, self-hating and cold jerk most of the time still he had his good points.

The monk returned shortly with a liter of holy water they requested. Zero took the glass bottle, thanking the man. "It's still raining outside, you're both welcome to stay inside until the storm passes," the monk offered politely. He looked down at Hunter, who was still shivering, then back at the monk. "Thanks," he voiced in reply. The monk gave them a small smile and left, most likely to resume whatever he was doing earlier.

The pregnant silence was now awkward and every noise seemed louder than it really was. Zero took a seat on one of the wooden benches and Hunter followed him. She pulled her knees up close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them in hopes of acquiring some warmth. She might be a descendant of a demigod wolf but for the most part she was still very much human. Her transformation skills were anything but perfect, so at times like these she'd just have to deal with her human side.

He looked down at the shivering girl. Her face was flushed even though she was shivering. Knowing she wasn't the type to be easily embarrassed he knew that this was an early onset of a fever. Great, now he was going to be blamed for her getting sick.

They sat in silence, the awkwardness now gone. For some reason they always found their quiet company more comfortable. Lightning illuminated the dimly lit church and thunder echoed through the ancient walls. Exhaustion suddenly washed over him and he had to fight the urge to yawn. Looking over again he saw Hunter already dozing off. He couldn't fall asleep. They had to go back to the academy as soon as the storm ended. His eyelids felt heavy, threatening to close and not open again until his body was rested. When he finally gave into the urge his world was sucked into a dreamless dark abyss.

* * * * * * *

It was eerily quiet when he came to and he felt unusually warm. Opening his eyes slowly, Zero saw that he was still inside the church and that it was dark outside. _Damn, I fell asleep…_he thought groggily through his clouded mind. The lightning and the onslaught of rain against the roof shingles were now gone and the only thing that illuminated the dark church were the candles placed around the altar.

That still didn't explain why he felt so warm. Looking down he saw Hunter's sleeping form against his, her head against his chest, his arm around her back, her legs curled up over him with his other arm over them, and his head on top of hers. There was a simple blanket thrown over them. He lifted his head off hers and confusion flooded his mind. What the hell happened?

Hunter stirred and made a moan-like sound. "Ah, you're awake," she said quietly, her voice so low it was almost a whisper. She slid off his lap and out of his embrace. "You were shivering in your sleep," she added in hopes to explain how they ended up like this. "I think the monk brought us a blanket too," she continued also puzzled by it.

He didn't say anything. He didn't think anything had to be said. This was awkward, period. "Let's head back," he finally said after a tense few seconds.

"Hey…let's keep what happened today between us, okay? I don't want Chairman worrying. It'll be our little secret," she said quietly though she knew he heard her.

* * * * * * * *

"I was so worried!" Kaien exclaimed pacing his office. It was already late at night and the two just returned. They were gone for several hours and their absence worried the Headmaster sick. Freshly showered and in clean clothes there were no hints of their run in with the level-e vampires. Hunter explained that they got caught in the storm and waited it out in the church.

Everything was going fine until Zero blabbered out that they ran into three level-e vampires. At least he didn't mention about her getting harassed by drunks, bitten by a level-e and then them sleeping together on a church bench. _At least he did what I asked him,_ she thought.

Now they were seated at a table with Akatsuki and Aido. Hunter eyed them apprehensively unsure of what to do or say. Did they really have to be there to explain all this to her?

"…and so these three are also vampires," Cross said motioning towards the three young men.

"_Sister Katherine….that man smells weird," young Hunter said to the nun. _

"_Now don't be rude," Katherine scolded the little girl, "he smells like that because he's a vampire."_

"_A vampire?" Hunter asked with big innocent blue eyes. "Yes, beware of people who smell like that." _

"Vampires?" Hunter's eyes scanned the three then settled on Kain, amusement dancing in her eyes. Almost as if she didn't believe them.

Kain looked deeply into her eyes looking for truth. "Yes, vampire." He said and felt as if he could lose himself in those Husky-blue depths of her eyes. The corners of Hunter's lips lifted into a small smile. She inched closer. "A vampire, huh?" the warmth of her breath brushed against his lips. Never breaking the eye contact, a daring look formed within her eyes. A small smile etched itself onto his lips. "Of course."

"So that's why you three smell funky!" She declared moving away from Kain and looking at the rest. Chairman Cross choked on his tea. "Hey! I don't smell funky!" Aido exclaimed offended.

"You knew about vampires?" Akatsuki asked ignoring her insult, Aido and the headmaster's coughing.

"Sister Katherine told me about vampires before…" Hunter said unperturbed by the revelation. It wasn't as bad as finding out that she was a werewolf. "I just forgot about it. It's not often that you get to sit with a bunch of vampires and chat over some tea…"

Silence fell upon them as they all stared at Hunter with disbelief. How can one forget about vampires?

"Anyway, thanks for the briefing, but I'm tired," she said breaking the silence. "I'll see myself out."

When Hunter got up and headed for the door, Zero habitually followed her with hands shoved in his pockets. _She knew about vampires?_ He wondered as his eyes lingered on the back of her head.

* * *

I don't think this was one of the best chapters. I had a hard time incorporating the awkwardness into the words. Anyway, I'm off to start the next one!


	13. In Her Golden Cage

**Note: Ah! Chapter 13! I hope this one is sufficiently long enough. I tried to do things a little differently in this chapter because I think it's time our two main characters begin to interact more with each other. There are several things in this chapter that I assume will confuse some people so I decided to provide explanations at the end of the chapter. **

**Also - compliments on this story are fine and dandy but the lack of criticism is making me a little uncomfortable. C'mon, I can't possibly be doing nothing wrong. **

**Anyway!**

**CRITICIZE. Compliment. Provide constructive criticism. (It makes the story better.)**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-13: In Her Golden Cage -**

_"Wolves housed in cages which are far too small, are still among the most pitiful of all caged animals."_  
-Conrad Lorenz, _King Solomon's Ring,_ 1952

**Werewolf:** (Old English _werewulf,_"man-wolf"), according to an ancient superstition, a man who is transformed, or who transforms himself, into a wolf in nature and appearance. The werewolf, sometimes transformed under the influence of a full moon, roams about at night, devouring infants or corpses.

**Vampire**: in folklore, a corpse that rises from the grave during the night, often in the form of a bat, and, for nourishment, sucks the blood of sleeping humans. Various talismans and herbs supposedly avert vampires, but, according to tradition, they can be destroyed only by cremation or by stakes driven through their hearts.*

It is a common theme in which man often believes that these two night creatures fight each other for power and for the blood of man. But how much truth is there to it? The vampire and the werewolf both hate the human, then why would they fight? A common enemy should bring them together. Then why does man believe otherwise?

Some like to theorize that it is so because the human is their common food supply. The humans are the vampire's sheep and the werewolves are the beasts that sneak in during the night and steal the sheep from their shepherds. Another theory suggests that both sides struggle for power. Yet why would they when it is the man that commands this world? Neither of the two is in charge. They're hunted and prosecuted…brutally slaughtered even, by their very own sheep.

Yet the beliefs on these two species vary from country to country. Some like to believe that they are creatures that are there to protect them. Others view them as gods that can bring unaccountable destruction and an end to their world. However, most simply fear them. Fear them just like any prey would fear their predator. And a man's fear drives him to destroy that which he fears.

Thoughts running through her mind, Hunter looked out her bedroom window. The autumn sun reflected in her irises, making them glitter like diamonds. She let out a small inaudible sigh. Sometimes she felt trapped in this place. The place that Sister Katherine promised would give her a second chance at life. Unfortunately she didn't feel as if she was getting one. With all that special attention and treatment she hasn't been able to socialize or have fun. Zero's been forced to be at her side against his own will. Akatsuki and Aido only hung around her because of what she was. They treated her like some archeological find of great value.

Walking away from the window she decided to take a shower. When she walked into the bathroom she unbuttoned her white blouse and threw it haphazardly into a corner. She studied her image in the large mirror. A large scar graced her smooth ivory skin on her back. It was from the fire that happened months ago. Most of it was gone but there was still a large deep red mark that stretched from her shoulder diagonally down her back, across her spine and ended just above her waist line. It was the deepest wound she suffered from the accident. She was told that a burning ceiling joist fell on her when she fell through the floor. It burned through her clothes and into her skin. Not like she could remember.

They called it post-traumatic amnesia. It occurs when someone suffers a head injury. Hunter could remember the doctors telling Sister Katherine about it when she was still at the hospital. She reached out her hand and touched her reflection. The mirror felt cold against her skin. The longer she looked at herself the more flaws she noticed in her image. Her bangs were grown out and her hair overall was in an extreme need of a trim. There were dark circles under her eyes and her lips were dry and cracked. With her other hand she touched her forehead and it felt unusually warm, telling her she was still slightly feverish.

Letting go of the mirror, Hunter rummaged through the drawers for a pair of scissors. She hasn't been taking care of herself since the fire and felt stupid. There was no reason for her to neglect herself and mope around just because of a few injures, missing memoires and having to live in a strange academy with a whacked Chairman. Not to mention a self-hating crabby vampire was around her almost 24/7. The whole vampire/werewolf dilemma didn't bother her as much as she originally thought it would. That was as long as she didn't turn into one of those big hairy monsters on a full moon like in the movies, of course. When she found a pair of relatively sharp scissors she ran a hand through her long hair with the scissors tracing along, trying to decide if she should trim it one or two inches.

The bathroom door suddenly opened and the intruder took the scissors from her hand. "What the hell are you doing?" **

Hunter threw a sharp glare at Zero. That manner-less jerk of a vampire really had to learn how to knock. "Don't you know how to knock?!" She snapped annoyed. "I'm trimming my hair and I'm half naked so get out, now!" She yelled grabbing the scissors from his hand and shoved him out, slamming the door in his face.

"Lock the door next time!" He yelled from the other side, his voice muffled by the door. "Go away!" she yelled from the bathroom. _Besides, I've already seen you half naked!_ He added mentally, not knowing what was the big deal about seeing her half naked again. He wasn't even turned on by her scarred body. If it was Yuuki it'd be another story, but this was Hunter – the wolf girl that turned into a hairy mutt on a full moon. _Whatever_, he thought, _stupid wolf_…

There was nothing special about a big-breasted pretty girl. To him it was personality that mattered. He only loved Yuuki. She was his only one. The kind, loving, and generous girl that always tried her hardest to make him smile. No girl could ever compete with his little Yuuki. She was far more innocent and cute than that _beast_ on the other side of the door. Sure, she wasn't as stunningly beautiful but at least she didn't have a foul mouth and didn't grow a tail on a full moon. Then why does he keep comparing them?

_Snip, snip, snip_…black hair came flying down onto the white sink as Hunter snipped away at the dried ends of her hair. She took off roughly an inch and a half off her layers. When the results were satisfactory she took a several diagonal snips at her sideways bangs shortening them an inch. Finished, she cleaned up the hair and disposed of it in a trash can then stripped the rest of her clothes and hopped into the shower.

Dry and clean, the wolf plopped down on her bed and stretched. She was bored, really bored. When classes weren't in session there was absolutely nothing to do. She could do her homework – but that'd be a first. Education and good grades weren't on the top of her priorities list. Schools only taught you dry hard facts about things no one cared for, claiming that they will help you later in life. Hunter believed that instead of teaching kids mundane things they should teach them how to live in the real world. Isn't that what's important?

Restless, her eyes darted about the plain room. The sun was setting, which meant Zero was off on his Perfect duties, making this the only time she was alone. It was a short lived relief, but if the girls were extra energetic it took him longer to get back. Something Hunter always looked forward to. Looking up at the bland ceiling a melody began playing in her mind, reminding her of all the things she bought in town not long after she first arrived.

Digging through the bags like a dog, she snatched an mp3 player along with its headphones and turned it on, hoping that all the music she uploaded at the library onto it was still there.***

When she found that all the songs were intact, she settled on "(Can't Get My) Head Around You" by The Offspring and turned it up all the way. Headphones on, she began rocking out to the music as she picked up her hairbrush.  
_"Deep inside your soul there's a hole you don't wanna see,  
Every single day what you say makes no sense to me,  
Even though I try I can't get my head around you…"_

Turning like a ballerina she jumped onto her bed.  
_"Somewhere in the night there's a light in front of me,  
Heaven up above with a shove, abandons me,  
And even though I try I fall in the river of you,  
You've managed to bring me down too,"_

The door to her room opened, but she failed to notice as she drowned in the heavy guitar riffs and the rush the song drove through her veins.

"_All your faking (Get up, Get up, Get up, Get up)  
Shows you're aching (Get up, Get up, Get up)"_

She jumped on her bed with her hair flying around her and continued singing into her brush with her eyes closed.  
_"Every single day what you say makes no sense to me,  
Lettin' you inside isn't right, you'll mess with me,  
I'll never really know what's really going on inside you,  
I can't get my head around you!"_

She leaped from her bed onto her dresser like a cat and continued to sing crouched as she head banged to the song, playing air guitar.

"_All your feeding (Get up, Get up, Get up, Get up)  
Shows you're bleeding (Get up, Get up, Get up)  
Deep inside your soul there's a hole you don't wanna see,  
covering it up like a cut with the likes of me,  
You know I've really tried, I can't do any more about you!"_

With the last line she jumped back onto her bed from the dresser.

"_(Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah) The cut's getting deeper!  
(Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah) The hill's getting steeper!  
I guess I'll never know what's really going on inside you!"_  
She screamed at the top of her lungs into her hairbrush microphone as she picked up a pillow and threw it towards the door, hitting Zero squarely in the face.

_Oh shit…_was what came to her mind. Blushing madly at her stupidity, she quickly pulled out her headphones and turned off the music. "Err…sorry," she voiced embarrassed.

Zero looked at her with an unreadable expression. It might have been shock, utter confusion, or something else. "What…was…that?" He asked still unsure of what he just witnessed. Having been a Perfect for so long he thought he had seen it all but she just proved him wrong.

"I was bored?" Hunter offered with the most innocent expression she could make.

"I-I'm gonna go take a shower," was all he said.

* * * * * * *

Hunter stared blankly at the wall hoping she could speed up the paint-peeling process. _Awkward, awkward, awkward…_kept running through her mind as Zero calmly read a book. It was all that damn vampire ever did when he was in her room. And if he wasn't reading he just sat there with a blank expression on his face. He was more than likely daydreaming, but she could never tell.

Still, she felt embarrassed by her earlier actions. _Idiot!_ She scolded herself mentally for her stupidity. Naturally she'd never let anyone see her act like that. She'd never act like that especially around people she wasn't that close with. _I must be getting too comfortable here_, she thought trying to reason her actions.

Turning her gaze away from the wall she studied Zero. His expression seemed thoughtful, or at least his eyes did. It was rare to come across someone with albinism, and she actually liked that he was one. Not the fact that he was albino, but the fact that with someone like him around she wasn't the palest kid in the school. _Selfish, I know..._she thought.

Hunter picked up a lock of her black hair and studied it. The dim light reflected off the silky strands making it look like black oil. Biting her lip, she looked over at Zero's hair. His hair was silvery white, and under the lamp it glistened like fresh winter snow at dawn. She took another glance at her black hair, then again at his. Black, white, black, white – just like yin and yang. She chuckled at the ironic realization, earning herself a look from Zero.****

Playing with her hair she wondered what she knew about yin and yang. They were opposite, equal, and balanced. Opposite as in female and male, dark and light, and so on. She also knew that because they form together they are equal and they cannot exist without the other. Meaning, the yin cannot exist without the yang, and the yang cannot exist without the yin.

Ah, but she could definitely exist without Zero. _Ouch! Harsh_…she thought taking a quick glance at the vampire.

Dropping her thoughts, she looked at the wall. Not a single paint chip has begun to peel yet. The wall was the same as it was few hours earlier. Nothing changed. "Peel damn it!" she yelled at the wall aggravated.

Zero looked up at her with a curious expression, thinking she was probably going insane. Hunter looked at him and shook her head dismissively in a "forget it" way and rolled over to her side, hiding herself underneath her blanket. It wasn't long before she couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm bored for fucks sake!" she exclaimed throwing her hands up. Zero threw a quick glance at her, "watch your mouth."

"Yes, _mother_…" Hunter retorted sarcastically, knowing it'd annoy Zero. "You need to stop acting like a child," he responded nonchalantly, not bothering to look up from his book.

"Yes, _mother_…" she said again, struggling to contain a laugh.

Zero closed his book annoyed. "Stop it," he ordered.

"Yes, _mo_–"she began but he gave her a warning look. "Say it and you'll regret it," he said.

"Mo–"

"Sh!"

"Mo–"As she began Zero sprung to his feet and headed towards her fast. Hunter was being too immature and being called a mother annoyed him.

"Mommy!" Hunter squeaked as he lunged at her to shut her up, but she was quicker and took him by the arm and twisted it in a way that made him land on his back on her bed. In a flash she was straddling his hips and pinning his arms above his head. "Ha-ha, I win what now? _Mother_…" she teased with an evil smirk.

Zero glared at her with annoyance. "Does that mean I get to do whatever I want?" she asked leaning in closer, almost seductively. He swallowed hard as her hair brushed his neck and her face came only a few inches from his own. What was she going to do?

"This is kind of kinky isn't it? A little dominatrix even…" Hunter continued to tease even though she had something else in mind. She let go of his wrists and traced her index finger along his jaw line and down his neck, the action sending tingles through his skin as he struggled to comprehend what she was aiming at. When she unbuttoned the first button on his shirt he took hold of her wrists and shoved her off him. "Enough, stop acting like a child," he said coldly and got off the bed.

Hunter laughed, "you thought I was going to do something perverted to you, didn't you?"

He didn't turn around to look at her or even bothered to respond. She nailed what he was thinking anyway. "You did!" she exclaimed with a grin on her face, "who could've thought you're such a pervert, Ze-ro." In truth, all Hunter was going to do is see if he's ticklish.

"I'm not a pervert. I don't know what you were going to do, but your childish behavior needs to stop." He said in an ice cold voice as he buttoned his shirt back up.

"Uh-huh…" she replied in disbelief. The brief look of shock mixed with anticipation and a little bit of helpless uncertainty said it all. It told her that he thought she was going to do something perverted. But it was the anticipation in his eyes that told her that a part of him _liked_ it, no matter how much he denied it.

Smirking, she got off the bed and snuck up behind him. He was lost in his own thoughts, _probably perverted_, she thought, so he didn't notice her approaching. Lacing her fingers behind her back she stood up on her tippy toes and got as close to his ear as possible. "Hen-tai," she said in a singsong voice startling him. "Will you stop this nonsense?" Zero asked frustrated.

"Not until you admit that you thought I was going to do something perverted and that you _liked_ it," she said mischievously. The vampire eyed her with disbelief at what he was hearing. Were all werewolves like this? "Che, as if…who could possibly think that? You're not even attractive and far from what I consider to be a woman," he said harshly. Maybe a bit too harshly…

Hunter looked at him shocked. _Ouch!_ She thought, _that bastard doesn't even consider me to be a woman! _Placing both hands on her hips aggravated, she decided to confront him on his statement. "Oh really?" she countered, "What is it that makes you think of me this way, hm? Aren't my boobs big enough for you? Or isn't my skirt short enough? Huh? What is it, Mr. Vampire?" she drilled, the words falling off her tongue like poison off a venomous snake's fangs.

"That's not it," Zero began, realizing she was heading off in a direction he didn't expect. The most he expected was for her to act like any girl, get upset, cry a little and then whine calling him a jerk and what not. He surely didn't expect for her to demand an explanation. Getting slapped seemed much better at the moment as well. "You don't act like a woman," he said trying to think of the right words but finding none. "Is that it?" she challenged him as he began walking towards the door.

Zero stopped right outside of her room still trying to find the right words. In the end he decided to let it all flow, figuring it was time to set this damn mutt in her rightful place. He took in a deep breath and braced himself. "Nope, not at all. You're ill tempered, foul mouthed, reckless, immature, constantly misbehaving, you have no manners whatsoever, you call everyone by their first name, never use honorifics, which is highly disrespectful, you never wear your uniform properly, and most of all – I highly doubt you're capable of acting like a woman anyway!" He yelled as he enumerated each flaw on his fingers.

"Oh yeah?" she challenged stepping up closer to him. "I can very well act like a fucking woman!" she yelled back at him, the intensity of her glare matching his own. "Then prove it!" He challenged in return. "Fine! I will! Tomorrow I'll act like a fucking lady all damn day just for you, _sweetheart!_" she yelled back though she had no clue how she was going to prove it to him that she could act like a woman – well more like a proper lady. "Ha – good luck then, because you probably can't even cook, can you?" His words stirred her anger more.

"Oh yes I can!" She yelled back but it was a lie. Hunter had no clue how to cook.

"Yeah, right," he snorted in return, not realizing how much she got him worked up over something so trivial.

"You're damn right I can," she growled, infuriated with his audacity to assault her womanhood. Her lack of "lady-like" qualities did not take away her womanhood. It just made her less perfect and more tomboy-like. She could still very well be very attractive and desirable even without those qualities. Besides, there's nothing great about being a goody-two-shoes and a perfect little lady. To her, it was actually brain-numbingly boring.

"Prove it," Zero said as a final challenge to her.

"Fine! What's your favorite dish then, Mr. Perfect?!" Hunter retorted accepting the challenge without even considering the consequences of her actions.

Zero pondered a bit then replied, "vegetable soup!"

"Consider it done, _honey!_" She yelled enunciating the word "honey" in a sarcastic way before slamming the door in his face, again.

"My, my, my, you two fight like you've been married for twenty years already," Akatsuki teased the fuming vampire. Zero looked up at him and Aido, "it was nothing, she was just being ridiculous as usual."

"Uh huh," Kain said disbelieving Kiriyuu but decided not to push the matter any further. "Oh my! She was so energetic and lively tonight! Her blood must taste really good right now!" Aido said dreamily, always loving the idea of drinking a lively maiden's blood.

Kain leaned in close to his friend's ear, "I wouldn't if I were you unless you want to be howling at the moon for the rest of your life…"

Aido looked at him with a terrified expression. Would drinking Hunter's blood really turn him into a hairy werewolf? Akatsuki laughed at Hanabusa's expression. "Haha, I'm kidding!" he said placing an arm on the shorter vampire's shoulder. "I don't really know if you'll turn into a werewolf if you drink her blood, never heard of it happening. I know that if a human gets bitten by a werewolf gets turned into one, but I've never heard of a vampire turning after drinking their blood," he explained trying to put his friend at ease.

"Hn, I wonder what would happen though," Aido said thoughtfully. The two then looked at Zero,exchanged mischievous looks and smiled.

* * *

* Taken from Wikipedia. Didn't feel like getting too deep into theories on what werewolves and vampires are.

** When Zero asks her what she's doing in the bathroom with the scissors he actually thought she was going to chop off all of her hair.

***I don't know if they have iPods or mp3 players in the VK world but for the purpose of this chapter they do. I used (Can't Get My Head) Around You by The Offspring for two main reasons - it's a good song to rock out to - and I think it kind of describes Hunter's thoughts on Zero.

****Never planned to play off their hair colors like that. I realized it at the same time Hunter did...

NOTE: If there is anything else you guys don't understand - don't be afraid to ask. I'll do my best to explain things.

And as a treat - here's a character profile for HUNTER:

Full Name: Hunter (no last name since she's an orphan, yet to be adopted)

Age: Unknown. Estimated to be 16-17.

Birthdate: Unknown. The orphanage uses October 13th as her official birthday because it is the day she was found.

Hair: black

Eyes: glacier blue

Special Markings: a large scar on her back and a tribal moon design behind her ear.

Likes: Ballroom dancing, walking, misbehaving, animals, the moon, and annoying Zero.

Dislikes: Zero's nagging, school, being treated special because of what she is, and boredom.

Favorite Food: extra rare steak.

Disliked Food: rotten.

Personality: Hunter is generally calm and collected and not very talkative. Likes to keep to herself and go off onto exploratory expeditions at night, which often makes people think of her as misbehaving, rebellious and reckless. Sometimes however, when she gets bored she tends to start acting childishly and likes to tease people, especially Zero, since he's forced to be always around her. Her true passion in life is ballroom dancing.

THE END! (Of Chapter 13)


	14. My Fair Lady

**Note: New chapter. I made this one longer since I made you guys wait so long. A lot of things happen in this chapter and I can assure you there are mistakes. I also decided to make things even spicier in this chapter so I hope you like it. **

**Criticize away.**

**P.S. If any of you have any suggestions for the story I'd be glad to hear them. Everything that is said is taken into consideration.**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-14: My Fair Lady-**

"_The Devil, having nothing else to do,  
Went off to tempt my Lady Poltagrue.  
My Lady, tempted by a private whim,  
To his extreme annoyance, tempted him."  
- _Hilaire Belloc

Hunter paced her bedroom raking her hands through her hair trying to figure out how she was going to pull off being a lady for a whole day. She has never acted like a lady before for she had no need to. All the burping contests she had with Michelle were useless now. Too bad he didn't challenge her to one of those. She'd kill him. Back at the orphanage she was the queen of burping contests.

The wolf sat down on her bed with her fingers still entangled in the mess that was called her hair. "What the hell am I gonna do?" she wondered aloud. "Shouldn't have accepted that challenge if you know you can't act like a lady," Kain said from his respective seat. It was his and Aido's turn to watch her. Hunter threw a quick glance at him. "I wasn't thinking," she said. That was the simple truth because she never thought about what she said when she got worked up.

"I doubt he'll even remember the challenge by tomorrow," Aido chimed in as he leafed through one of Hunter's books by Aleister Crowley. "I really don't know what you see in these books by that hedonist bisexual drug experimenter," he added as he read another short poem by Crowley. "Because he's interesting," Hunter replied unfazed by his degradation of Aleister. It really was all in personal taste whether one liked the writings of the controversial man or not.

"He'll remember," Kain said thoughtfully as the scene from fifteen minutes ago played in his mind. The fire in Hunter's eyes then didn't surprise him as much as Zero's outburst did. The only time he's seen the vampire so worked up was with Yuuki. It was a rare sight then too. The silver-haired teen has been all gloom and doom since he turned. It was only when he was with those two that something else came out of him. He could understand why Yuuki had an effect on him. The guy loved her. It was as obvious as the tattoo on his neck. Hunter on the other hand – he had yet to figure out.

Kain eyed Hunter as she sat there lost in her own world. _Probably thinking about the challenge_, he thought as he watched her chew on her bottom lip. "Dance with me," he suddenly said. Hunter's head sprung up and her eyes focused on him. "Huh?" she asked confused. "I said dance with me," Kain said slightly forcefully making it clear that it was a demand and not a question.

"But there's no music," Hunter replied. Kain picked up the mp3 player off her dresser and turned it on. "Yes there is," he said as he shuffled through the songs on it, trying to pick out the right one. What he wanted was a slow song but there seemed to be a deficiency of those on Hunter's mp3 player. The closest thing he came to was "Get Out Alive" by Three Days Grace. He then turned up the volume all the way and set the device back down on the dresser. The song's beginning soft tunes filled the bedroom as they streamed from the headphones. The music wasn't loud at all but it was loud enough to fill up the room with its melody.

Kain stopped in front of Hunter and held his hand out to her. "How about a waltz?" He asked, though once again his tone meant it was a demand and not a question. Hunter furrowed her brow in confusion but complied nonetheless. If he wanted to dance so badly with her then she was going to dance. The vampire took hold of her hand while she placed her other one on his shoulder. With their bodies touching, almost as if glued, he spun with her to the music. Hunter tilted her head away to assume the proper waltz position as her feet moved naturally, remembering all the right steps.

Their dance floor was small but for a slow dance like waltz it could work. They couldn't travel across the floor nor could they execute any spectacular moves but it was enough. Kain turned her around so her back faced him and wrapped his arm around her, placing his hand on her abdominal. Hunter remembering the move placed one hand over his then pulled her other arm up, her hand pulling his head down towards hers. Noses almost touching, Hunter could feel his breath on her lips. Kain traced his free hand up her soft arm as they took several steps forward.

Kain spun her away from him and they reverted back to the traditional waltz steps, their bodies once again glued as they took several steps then spun. With the final spin, Hunter leaned backwards then moved forward, placing a hand on his face as his travelled down her back, their noses touching briefly before he spun her away once more. When Kain brought her back in towards his body she wrapped her arms around his neck pulling herself in close to him. He then placed his own on her back and spun them together before lowering her and kneeling down on one knee.

"Bravo!" Aido clapped almost sarcastically. "Happy now?" Hunter asked as their cheeks touched. Her warm breath tickled his neck as she spoke.

"Are you?" He asked letting her go. Hunter stood back up and brushed herself off. "Why should I be?" she asked not knowing what he was aiming at. "You're not stressing out over the challenge, are you?" he asked with a smirk. Things clicked in Hunter's head. So that's why he wanted to dance. "Ah, that was sly," she said with a small smile letting him know it worked.

The vampire returned the small smile and turned off the music. Hunter sat back down on her bed. "So how come you two know how to ballroom dance?" she asked. "We're nobles, aristocrats, call it whatever you want – we have to know how to dance," Aido answered nonchalantly as he stretched in his chair. "If you're nobility, then why do you insist to hang out with someone like me? I'm not of noble birth," Hunter said. She wanted to know why did they really hang out with her, though she felt she already knew the answer.

"Nonsense, you're a descendant of a demigod – your blood is far more royal than ours," Kain said as he took a seat next to her. "Is that why you hang out with me?" Hunter asked, "Because of what I am?" Her tone was so bitter that he could almost taste it. The vampire took in a deep breath. "Originally that's what it was," he began. "I was only interested in what you were – an ancient creature that's on the brink of extinction. My grandmother told me stories of your kind when I was little. She spoke of the great power your kind possessed. The fear that it spread. She always told me to respect the beast that howls at the moon for when provoked even a pureblood stands little chance…" he said almost thoughtfully. Hunter eyed him curiously, patiently waiting for him to continue.

"I couldn't help but be intrigued by the tales of the beasts she spoke of," he said. "So when I learned about you I couldn't help but want to see it all for myself. It was one of those one in a million chances…" He paused collecting his thoughts. "But for a werewolf you're kind of a disappointment…." He said with a small smile as he looked down on her. Hunter's brow twitched not knowing whether being a disappointment in this case was good or not.

His smile widened. "You're not as scary as I hoped you'd be," he said looking deep into her eyes. Hunter's brows furrowed once more, "why would I be scary?" she asked confused. "You're a werewolf, you're supposed to be this huge beast with long fangs and deadly jaws, big paws, and shaggy fur – and you're not," he explained.

Hunter chewed over his words in her head. What he said was true. The most "wolf" she ever got was the tail, vampire-like fangs and kitty-like claws. She could see why he was disappointed. He was expecting some ferocious monster but got this rather pathetic half-breed. To an aristocratic vampire like him she was no scarier than a rabid hamster. "I can see why you're disappointed," she said. "So now that your little bubble is broken, why do you continue to spend time with me?" Hunter really wanted the truth.

"It's because we like you Hunter-chan!" Aido chimed in. "He just thinks he's too cool to admit that though," the blonde added with an evil smirk. What Aido said was true besides the last part. Kain would admit that he liked Hunter – as a friend as far as he was concerned – but to him it was a little more than that. For him, spending time with Hunter was more like a breath of fresh air. It was his break from the stagnant life at the academy and his servitude to Kaname. It wasn't as if he hated Kaname. Of course, sometimes he didn't agree with everything the pureblood did but it was loyalty that would always keep him by his side.

Hunter looked at him quizzically. With a smile he shrugged. She didn't know whether she liked their answer or not, but for now it would have to do. A yawn escaped her lips. "I think you should go to sleep," Aido said to her. Hunter looked at him briefly before giving him a small nod of consent. She settled in on her bed as Kain tucked her in – a habit he picked up from watching her with Aido. Sometimes Hanabusa would tuck her in when he wasn't around but for the most part it was his job.

It wasn't long before she left the conscious world.

Kain looked at Aido. "I feel like a parent right now," he said to his friend. "Tell me about it, it's like we're playing house with a wolf as our kid. So who's the mommy in this little family?" Hanabusa asked. Akatsuki smirked, "you."

The blonde vampire glared at him. He really wanted to explode on him but that'd result in waking up Hunter. They didn't want that. Still….it was unfair. Why did Kain get to be the daddy? Kain ruffled his friend's hair and took his usual seat. "C'mon, it's not serious," he said.

Slouching his shoulders defeated, Aido took his respective seat and the two sat there in silence. It wasn't long before Hunter's usual nightmares began.

Akatsuki sighed. "Here we go," he said getting up from his seat. Hunter had nightmares every night, or so it seemed. They didn't know if she had them when Kiriyuu was watching her. All they knew was that she had them when they were on duty. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, Kain brushed away some stray hairs from her face and began petting her like a puppy. That was the only thing that seemed to work whenever she had a nightmare. It was going to be another long night.

* * * * * *

The loud alarm buzzed crazily in the early morning hours startling Hunter awake. With a jolt she threw her arm over to silence man's most annoying creation only to find it out of reach. The screeching noise was giving her a headache. Trying to reach the alarm clock, Hunter rolled over fast and bumped hard into a body next to hers sending them both falling down onto the floor with a loud thud.

Confused, Hunter looked down at the grunting body underneath her. It belonged to Kain. He was shielding his eyes from the morning sun with his hand. She was laying on top of him in an entangled mess of blankets. It was an awkward and confusing situation. Their eyes locked briefly before another groan came from the bed. "Turn that damn thing off!" Aido yelled from the bed not caring the covers were stripped off him. "And turn off the light!" he grumbled in addition, his voice muffled by the pillow.

Snapping back into reality, Hunter sat up, straddling Kain and leaned over him to turn off the alarm. Her voluptuous chest came barely an inch from his face. She was wearing only a white tank top that did little to cover her. Unfortunately, even though he was a vampire he was still a guy in the end. Grabbing the girl by her waist, he turned, easily overpowering her. Now she was under him but his waist was between her thighs making the position look even weirder.

He looked down on her with a small smirk gracing his lips. Her hair was sprawled around her head like a black halo, glistening in the morning sun. He leaned in close to her ear, inhaling her scent before speaking. "I think you should consider your actions more often," he said in a quiet voice only she could hear.

The door to the room opened and Zero walked in to relieve Aido and Akatsuki of their "shift", as he liked to call it. However, what he saw stopped him dead in his tracks. Aido was lying sprawled on Hunter's bed in nothing more than a pair of boxers with his head under a pillow, while Hunter and Akatsuki were on the floor in a heap of blankets. Judging by the movements under the blankets it looked like they were doing something.

Kain heard the door open and knew it was Zero. Feeling evil, he decided to test if the vampire liked Hunter or not. "Someone's here," Hunter whispered letting him know she heard the door as well. "Shh," he put his index finger over her lips silencing her. She looked at him confused. There was never a time she could tell what was on his mind.

Smirking he dipped his head lower and licked the side of her neck as his hand trailed up her tank top. "What ahhh– "he bit her neck, turning her question into a moan of pain and disturbingly enough pleasure as well. He didn't bite her hard enough to break skin and draw blood, but it was enough to make it hurt.

"Hold on," Kain whispered to Hunter, placing his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet before lifting himself up. Looking over his shoulder he saw Kiriyuu standing in the door. Their eyes met briefly. An ice-cold glare met his nonchalant look telling him that the vampire didn't like what he saw.

"Sorry to interrupt," Zero said coldly and turned on his heel, closing the door behind him. He let go of Hunter's mouth. "You jerk!" she yelled punching him in the chest. "What the hell was that all about?!" she ranted, furious that he did something like that to her.

"I think he likes you," Kain said to her, ignoring the punches she threw at him. It wasn't like they hurt anyway. "What?" she asked confused. _What the hell is he talking about now?!_ She wondered angrily in her head. "Zero – I think he likes you," he repeated himself as he got off her. "How'd you figure that out?" she asked not believing him as she rubbed her aching neck. "Should've seen his face after you moaned like that," he said with a small smirk.

"Anyone would have a weird face if they saw something like that you bastard," she said getting up. "Will you two shut up? I'm trying to sleep here…" Hanabusa grumbled from under the pillow. Hunter threw a quick glare at him. "What the hell you're doing in my bed anyway?! You too! What were you _both_ doing in my bed?!" she yelled as she walked around her room trying to find her uniform and a change of fresh underwear.

"You were having a nightmare and in the end we fell asleep in your bed," Aido said crawling out of her bed giving up on sleeping. Hunter picked up a white uniform jacket that didn't belong to her, eyeing it like a foreign weird looking parasite. "It's mine," Kain said taking it from her and putting it on. "Where are my clothes?" Hanabusa asked looking around the room. "Hell if I know," Hunter growled picking up a skirt.

"Now, now, calm down," Kain said placing his hands on her shoulders. "You're supposed to act like a lady today, remember?" He asked reminding her of the challenge.

"FUCK!" She cursed remembering. Akatsuki put his index finger over her lips. "Shh, ladies don't curse," he said. Hunter growled annoyed. "So much for acting like a lady today when you just made me out to be a _whore_," she growled as she picked up some clothes. That was harsh but true. A "lady" should never be caught in a situation like this with a guy between her legs and moaning.

"If you're going to act like a lady, first you need to go shower," Kain said shoving her out the door and pointing towards the bathroom down the hallway. Hunter glared at him muttering incoherent curses under her nose.

"Second," Hanabusa began as he pulled his jacket back on, "a lady does not have a foul mouth."

Hunter jumped into the shower and hurried through the routine knowing that if she took her time she'd be late for her first class. When she walked out, Aido looked her over and shook his head. "Third, darling, a lady should look like one too," he said as he grabbed a brush and straightened the wet mess she called her hair. He then dried it for her, adding few styling products to make it shiny and softer than the finest silk.

Next Kain buttoned up her shirt properly and tied the red bow for her. He found it amusing that she wore her uniform just like he did but today she wasn't going to. Not if she was going to live up to her words.

"Now, if you're to act like a lady today, I think it'd be best if you just follow the basics," Kain said as he fixed her collar and Aido tied her boots. "All you need to do is be polite, say 'please' and 'thank you,' address him using the proper honorific, keep your tongue clean, sit straight, be neat, no glaring, no forward actions, just be very demure and polite. If you just follow these you should be okay." He explained as he took a step back and eyed her overall look.

There was a bruise on her neck showing where his fangs dug into her skin when he bit her. He readjusted her long hair making it cover the bruise. Now she looked like a lady. "So what would be the proper honorific to address him with?" She asked feeling uncomfortable in this getup.

"I think 'Kiriyuu-san' is good," Aido said after a two-second thought. Hunter took in a deep breath and braced herself for the day. "Okay, I think I can do it." She said and headed out the door.

* * * * * *

"Good morning, Kiriyuu-san," Hunter said with a small bow. Zero eyed her curiously then gave her a small nod, "morning."

_Ah, she remembered what she said last night_, he thought, _but that still doesn't help what happened this morning_. He was feeling awkward around her as her moan still echoed in his mind. It told him that his intuition was right and there was something between her and Akatsuki. Yet why did it bother him? He thought that there was something between them and this morning proved him right. It shouldn't bother him. There was absolutely no reason why it should. Unfortunately it still gnawed at him.

He turned on his heel and began walking towards their classroom. Hunter glared daggers at his back as she bit down on her tongue to keep herself from blurting out angry curses. She hated this "lady" thing. Zero's behavior didn't help her at all either. Why she said she could act like a lady back then was beyond her. Her neck still throbbed from the little "love bite" Kain gave her this morning. _Vampire bastard,_ she cursed mentally,_ I may be pathetic for a werewolf but hell hath no fury like a woman scorned you fucker_.

Zero's back tensed as he felt a murderous aura behind him. He knew it belonged to Hunter. _I wonder who's she killing mentally now_, he wondered, hoping it wasn't him. Knowing his luck though, he figured it was him she was killing in her head. After all, he did walk in on her and Akatsuki. What was worse, Aido Hanabusa was on her bed half naked as well. Was there something between them too?

They walked into their class taking their usual seats. He eyed Hunter from her peripheral vision as she sat properly – like a lady would. Her notebook was neatly laid out in front of her and for once she wasn't gnawing on her pen like a teething pup. She caught him staring at her and glanced his way, a small smile gracing her lips. In the morning light she looked like an angel, all traced of the murderous aura gone. It was a surreal sight. He turned away, not liking what he was thinking.

* * * * * *

The day continued on as he silently and intently studied Hunter and her new behavior. It was as if he was looking at another person and not her. Who was this girl? Did she secretly have a twin and switched with her overnight?

The bell rung signaling it was the end of yet another period and time for lunch. Normally Hunter would be piling her stuff together but this time she was neatly putting things away. A student from their class came up to her, fumbling with his fingers.

"E-excuse me, Hunter-san, I-I'd like you to have this," he said handing her a small white box wrapped in a pink ribbon. Hunter looked at him slightly taken aback then smiled warmly. _You have to say 'please' and 'thank you,'_ rang Kain's words in her head. "Thank you," she said taking the gift from the brunette boy. Zero recognized him as their sempai who's been staring down Hunter in their class since day one. He thought the guy was actually creepy. _The normal Hunter would look at him weird and walk away_, he thought.

The guy blushed and fumbled with his uniform. "U-um, w-would you like to join m-me for lunch?" He asked her stuttering. Hunter looked at him a bit shocked. _That bastard!_ She thought. _My back's already aching like a bitch from having to sit properly all damn day and now you've got the audacity to ask me to go out to lunch with you?! Just because I accepted your gift doesn't mean I like you!_ She ranted mentally.

Zero felt her angry aura flare up and was dead sure she was going to abandon her lady act.

_Be polite,_ Kain's words rang in her head once more. Cringing mentally, she bowed down slightly. "My apologies, unfortunately I have prior engagements I must attend to," she said in an even voice, trying to sound genuinely apologetic. Her words shocked Zero. _She's really taking this seriously, isn't she?_ He wondered. The guy looked at Hunter taken back by her behavior and then looked at Zero. Their eyes met briefly and a shiver went down his spine. "A-ah, that's okay," the guy said nervously. "I-I'm sorry for troubling you," he said with a bow then turned on his heel.

_Was my acting that bad?_ Hunter wondered as her eyes followed the retreating student's back. She looked down at the white box and shoved it into her jacket. There was no way she could throw it out with everyone around. It'd ruin her act.

"So what 'prior engagements' must you attend, Hunter?" Zero asked sarcastically without looking at her, knowing she said it to get rid of that guy. _Damn it! I knew he was going to call me out on it!_ Hunter grumbled in her head. Thinking fast, she pinched her cheeks to make it look as if she was blushing.

Not hearing an answer, Zero turned around to look at her. "I-I always eat lunch with you, Kiriyuu-san," Hunter said blushing as she avoided his gaze shyly. For the first time since he has known her he actually thought she was _cute_. Shocked, he turned away from her. "I see," he said and began walking. _Score! He fell for it!_ Hunter thought as she followed him quietly, slouching her shoulders to ease the stiffness from them.

"What do you want to eat?" Zero asked her turning around. Startled she automatically straightened herself and resumed her façade. "A salad," she lied. Normally she'd be going rabid saying she wants an extra rare steak with blood. Zero smirked, "a salad it is."

Hunter sat properly regardless of the pain that was shooting through every part of her body as she ate the disgusting salad. _I'm a carnivore damn it! I don't eat grass!_ She thought angrily as she chewed on her food, trying to hide her disgust. She glanced at Zero as he dug into his sandwich, definitely enjoying her misery. The scent of lunch meat wafted over to her, making her want to jump him and steal his sandwich. _I can't lose_, she reminded herself mentally as to why she was eating a salad and not meat.

When lunch ended, Hunter wanted nothing more than to vomit. _No more salads! Ever! I'll kill someone before I eat another salad ever again!_ She vowed as she followed Zero. The rest of their classes flew by and she truly enjoyed the ones she didn't have with him. In those she acted as her usual self.

Zero was now walking her to her room as usual before he would be off on his Perfect duties. When they reached her room she secretly pinched her cheeks again for the fake blush. He turned around to look at her only to look away when he saw her blushing face. "Thank you for walking me," she said shyly. _I hope you enjoyed today you bastard,_ she added mentally.

_She needs to stop doing that, it's actually cute,_ he thought looking away. Then he remembered – she was supposed to cook him dinner tonight as well. Was he going to get food poisoning? Or was she going to pull it off? _No, she'll probably put actual poison in the food,_ he thought. Either way, it was part of the challenge.

Placing one hand on the wall not too far from her head, he took hold of her chin with his other one, placing it between his thumb and index finger and leaned in close as he did so. "It was my pleasure," he said in a quiet voice. _I think he likes you_, echoed Kain's voice in her head. Zero's words brushed her lips and the proximity made her blush for real this time. "I'll be looking forward to dinner tonight," he added and let her go. Hunter stood there shocked dead still as he walked away. _I'll be looking forward to dinner tonight…_his words echoed in her mind as the feel of his breath lingered on her lips. _Dinner!_ She remembered and yanked open the door to her room.

Scrambling, she changed as fast as she could then ran downstairs to the kitchen. "What was it that he said he liked?" She wondered aloud as she rummaged through the refrigerator. Noticing all the fresh vegetables she remembered: vegetable soup.

"Damn, I don't know how to cook that…." She said staring at the vegetables. Looking around the kitchen she saw a phone and a light bulb went off in her head. _Sister Katherine!_ She yanked the phone off its cradle and dialed the number the nun gave her in a case of an emergency. To Hunter this was an emergency.

_Ring, ring, ring_…the phone rang. With each unanswered ring her anxiety grew.

"Hello?" Sister Katherine answered.

_Finally!_ Hunter thought relieved. "Sister Katherine! It's me, Hunter!" She greeted the nun.

"Oh my, Hunter? Is something wrong?" The nun asked wondering what was so urgent about the girl's tone.

"Yes! I need help! I don't know how to cook vegetable soup!" Hunter wailed into the phone. Sister Katherine burst out in laughter.

"Hey! Shut up! This is a serious matter!" Hunter growled into the phone. "I-I'm sorry," the nun croaked out between laughs. "I just never thought you'd be calling me to ask how to cook something, are you trying to impress someone special to you?" she asked the young girl.

The incident from ten minutes ago with Zero flashed before her eyes making her blush. "N-no!" she yelled into the phone. "It's a challenge and I can't lose!" She added fiercely. "Ah, I should have expected that, well do you have a pen and some paper?" Sister Katherine asked. Hunter scrambled for a piece of paper and a pen.

When she was ready, the nun told her the recipe for the vegetable soup. Hunter wrote it down verbatim and thanked Sister Katherine before she hung up.

"Now….chop up the vegetables….add this…add that…cook this long…okay! I think I can do it now!" She said optimistically and pulled out a large butcher knife. Washing the vegetables she dried them with a paper towel just like the nun instructed her to then started chopping away like a madman…or mad woman in this case.

"I can do this, I can do this, I can do this," she chanted as she cut her fingers yet again. "Damn!" she cursed as she licked the blood clean. There were several cuts on her fingers already and not even half the vegetables diced the way they're supposed to be. They weren't healing since she was in her human form. She'd have to go wolf in order to heal them within seconds, unfortunately she didn't know how to change on her own will.

Hunter resumed dicing the vegetables and cut herself again, this time deep. Yanking the hand back and away from the knife she knocked over some metal pots. They clanked loudly on the tile floor.

Having finished his Perfect duties early, Zero heard a crash in the kitchen. He figured Hunter was trying to cook. Feeling curious, he decided to peek at what she was doing to cause this racket. When he peeked in through the door he saw her standing there in the Chairman's pink apron with her hands bleeding and a mess of pots and vegetables around her.

"God damn it!" she cursed loudly tearing off the apron. "I can't do this!" she yelled throwing the butcher knife towards the door.

The knife barely missed Zero's head as it lodged itself deeply in the wooden door. _That was close,_ he thought as he eyed the large piece of steel. He took another glance at her bloodied hand and felt as if he pushed her too far. Should have stopped at the first part of the challenge.

He pulled the knife out of the door. "That was dangerous," he said handing the knife back to her. Hunter glared at him briefly then turned away. "Show me your hand," he told her. She glanced at him over her shoulder then reluctantly gave him her hand. Controlling his bloodlust, he pulled her towards the sink and washed off the blood to give him a better look at the damage.

In total there were four cuts on her fingers. The deepest one was on her index finger and was still bleeding. "You should be more careful," he said and lifted her hand to his lips, licking the wounds clean. Hunter noticed his eyes turn a bright crimson as he did so but her cuts began closing immediately. When he was done she cradled her tingling hand in her other one and looked away.

"Don't worry about making that soup for me," he said as he ruffled her hair. Hunter looked at him quizzically. "You already lost the challenge anyway," he added with a smirk.

"What do you mean I lost?" she asked confused. She really thought she was doing well.

"I heard you cuss like a sailor before I came in here. Ladies don't have foul mouths," he replied turning away from her, a small smile gracing his lips that he didn't want her to see.

Hunter growled clenching her fists. "You bastard! That was cheap! I didn't know you were there!" she yelled at him waving her fist angrily in the air. _Back to normal_, he thought trying to hide his relief.

In truth, he realized he preferred the usual Hunter. Yes, he thought she was cute when she was being shy and blushing, but the lady act really didn't suit her well. _Nope, not at all_.


	15. Yuuki's Investigation

**Note: This is definitely not the best of chapters but it's a prelude to things to come. The next chapter will be much better.**

**A little clarification though: there's four new characters in here. They're "oc" characters that will only appear in this chappter. They are Shin (the guy that has a crush on Hunter and gave her a gift), Hana (no known romantic interests but convinced Zero likes Hunter), Manami (loves Akatsuki Kain), and Junko (loves Aido Hanabusa). Their only appearance is this chapter - unless I'll need them later.**

**The reason for this chapter is quite simple. As I was writing the next chapter (what is now chapter 16) I realized that by now Yuuki would be curious as to what Zero's been up to since he's been ditching her all this time. In this chapter, she investigates that. **

**Also! I'm not too familiar with Yuuki's mannerisms so if I portrayed her wrong I apologize. **

**P.S. There's an extra at the end of the chapter.**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-15: Yuuki's Investigation-**

"_Truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off."_

-Gloria Steinem

Sitting in the classroom her eyes felt heavy and the teacher's monotone voice was lulling her to sleep. Last night was another one of those long nights for Yuuki as a Perfect and she was tired. Some girls snuck out of their dorms once again to take a peek at the Night Class. Maybe if they knew that their idols could suck them dry they wouldn't be so in love with them.

They didn't know that their idols were vampires, of course. It was the academy's most guarded secret. Only a select few were aware of it and she, Yuuki Cross, was one them. She considered herself to be a guardian of the school and the truth. However, her job wasn't to just protect the truth of the vampires but it was also to protect the students from those vampires. Unfortunately, the girls' infatuation with the said vampires did not make her job any easier.

"Yuuki…wake up, class is over," her friend Yori said as she gently touched her shoulder.

"Mnmnnnm…" she mumbled into her sleeve before getting up. Looking around she noticed that most of the students were already packed up and heading out the door.

"Did you have another long night?" Yori asked her as she put away her notebook.

Yuuki studied her friend briefly then nodded as she stretched. "Yeah, some girls snuck out again," she said with a yawn.

"Oh…" Yori said. "How come Zero-kun doesn't do anything lately? He's a Perfect too, isn't he?" she asked as she noted that the other Perfect hasn't done any meaningful work recently. He's only been showing up at the gates and then disappearing for extensive periods of time.

Yuuki shrugged. "I don't know. I think Chairman Cross has him doing other things," she said thinking that's all there was to it. Yuuki hated to admit it but even she didn't know what Zero was up to. It was strange, really, since she usually knew what that guy was up to. When she thought about it, she realized that he's been excessively secretive since the Halloween Dance. Did something happen?

"Ah, looks like they're back to normal," Yori said as she looked at Hunter and Zero. The two have gotten close over the last couple months and were now walking out of the classroom and Zero was once again getting annoyed by Hunter's facetious remarks. The onyx-haired girl often mocked and teased the Perfect and riled him up. Yori smiled finding the spectacle quite comical to watch as the two bantered back and forth.

"What do you mean?" Yuuki asked confused, not knowing what Yori was talking about.

"They were acting weird yesterday. I think they might have had a fight or something…" she replied thoughtfully.

"I think they had a lover's quarrel, don't you think so too Yori-chan?" a brunette girl chimed in as she sat down next to Yuuki.

"Hana-chan, I don't think that was it…" Yori said to the girl, letting her know that was not what she was aiming at. She knew that the two were close but she didn't think they were dating.

"Look at how close they are though! I always see them together," Hana replied defending her assumption. What she said was true – they were almost always together. In her eyes, it meant that they were dating.

"Oh no! So the rumors are true! My Hunter-chan really is dating that scary monster!" a guy wailed behind them.

"Shin-sempai! Please don't jump to conclusions like that," Yori said trying to calm down the older student. It was quite obvious he had a crush on Hunter. He even gave her a gift the other day.

"No, I don't think she's dating Kiriyuu-san," another girl, a blonde, said. "I've seen her with Wild-sempai walking around at night!" she exclaimed as she joined in on the conversation.

"Manami-san!" Yuuki said startled by the girl's outburst. This was the first time she was hearing something like this.

"No, you're all wrong! I've seen her with Idol-sempai! I was so jealous I cried all night!" a girl named Junko wailed to the others.

Yuuki was beyond confused. This was the first time she felt so out of the loop. What was going on?

"I'm still saying she's dating Kiriyuu-san! They're always together!" Hana said trying to solidify her claim.

"That's why she rejected me yesterday!" Shin said agreeing with Hana's declaration.

"Then why was she walking around at night with Wild-sempai? Don't you remember the dance either? They looked like they were in love!" Manami cried. "I heard them have a lover's quarrel last night too! It made me so happy but Hunter-san was being so mean to Wild-sempai!" the girl added getting angry. "She was like 'you stupid fanged rodent if you ever to that again I'm going to skin you alive,' that's so mean! I'd never say that to my beloved Wild-sama!" Manami added trying to imitate Hunter's voice.

Yuuki paled after hearing Manami's words. If what she said was true then it meant Hunter knew about the vampires and that Akatsuki has bitten her.

"Liar!" The girl named Junko exclaimed. "What about her and Idol-sempai? I heard him say 'I love you' to Hunter-san last night!" She said as she seethed with jealousy.

"I'm still saying she's with Kiriyuu-san! I saw them leave the campus together once! It looked like they were going on a date too!" Hana added with conviction, her words making Shin more upset.

"Calm down you guys, I don't think any of you are right," Yori interjected, trying to calm down the riled students. They always went out of control when it came to their infatuations.

"Then prove it!" Manami challenged the short haired girl.

"I don't really think it's something I can prove, but if you want to know the truth why don't you ask them yourselves?" Yori offered calmly.

The students exchanged looks and all came to the same conclusion. "No way, that's too embarrassing," Hana said crossing her arms over her chest.

"Agreed," both Manami and Junko voiced simultaneously.

"Me too," Shin said dejectedly as he slouched in his seat.

They sat in a depressed silence, the only sound being the clock's ticking on the wall.

"Ne, how about Yuuki-san finds out for us?" Junko offered optimistically.

"Yeah, she's a Perfect, she can talk to them!" Manami added brightly.

"Then it's settled! Yuuki will ask them about their relationships!" Hana exclaimed with a smile.

"A-ah, guys I don't think that's a good idea…" Yuuki said scratching her head uneasily. How was she going to ask them about something like that?

"Well aren't you curious too?" Hana asked knowing she hit the bull's-eye.

Yuuki exchanged looks with Yori. Hana was right. She was curious, really curious. She wanted to know why Zero's been M.I.A. all this time and not telling her a thing. They've been friends since they were kids so not knowing something like this about Zero was really unsettling to her.

"Alright! I'll do it!" Yuuki exclaimed fired up ready to get to the bottom of this mystery.

* * * * * *

"Zero, can I copy your notes?" Yuuki asked him in her usual manner.

"Go ahead," he replied glancing out the window as if he was looking for something – or someone – as he took a sip of his water. They were at the Chairman's office doing their homework. It's been a long time since they've done their homework together. It's been a very long time since they have done anything together alone. Of course the homework was just an excuse to get him alone with her.

Yuuki eyed him curiously. He seemed distant. The Zero she knew was always kind of distant and in his own world but never to this degree. "Are you okay?" she asked him with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied distracted, not even bothering to look at her. He was too busy scanning the darkness outside like a sentinel.

She didn't like how distracted he was, it bothered her. He seemed paranoid about something. Or was he thinking about Hunter? The thought reminded her of why she asked him to do "homework" with her in the first place.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked him cautiously.

"Sure," he replied before inhaling deeply and looking off into the distance.

The brunette studied him briefly as he took another sip of his water. "Are you and Hunter-san dating?" she asked nonchalantly looking down on her homework.

Zero choked on his water. "W-what? W-what a-re you ta-lking about?" he asked between coughs as he tried to recover his composure. That definitely got his attention.

"There are rumors going around saying that you and Hunter-san are dating," she clarified using the same tone as earlier.

"No way, I'd never date that rabid flea-bitten inbred runt!" he declared turning away from her and resumed looking out the window.

She wanted to believe his words but there was some doubt in her mind. If Zero disliked Hunter so much then why did they spend so much time together? It was something she was going to have to find out on her own.

"That –! Sorry Yuuki, I have to go," he said when something caught his eye in the darkness and rushed out of the office.

* * * * * *

Like a thief in the night Yuuki snuck around yet another corner before flattening her back against the wall. It has been over an hour since Zero went running like a bat out of hell from the Chairman's office. Leaning over she took a glance at what was ahead of her.

"Zzeeerrooo!!! I'm hungry!" Hunter whined like a five year old.

"That's not my problem," he replied annoyed.

Hunter jumped onto his back piggyback style, wrapping her arms around his neck with her mouth next to his ear. "I wants foooood…I wants steeeaaakkk…" she said in a screechy voice into his ear.

"Get off me," he growled trying to take her off his back.

"Never!" she protested climbing all over him like a monkey away from his dreadful hands. "Not until you feed me!" she added almost falling off his back.

Zero swiped at her but her reflexes were faster than his. "It's not my job to feed you!" he retorted trying to grab the squirming girl.

Yuuki's eyes widened at what she saw. She's known Zero all her life and she wasn't even that close to him – would never even dare to imagine doing something like that to him. Seeing Hunter climb all over him like that was shocking. Hunter was either suicidal or there was something between them that allowed her to act like that. And she was going to find that out.

"Damn it! I'm hungry!" Hunter yelled wrapping her arms around Zero's neck once more and tightening her hold, almost strangling him.

The vampire sighed defeated, knowing that at this rate she was going to strangle him and if not then she was going to eat him alive. "Fine, fine…let's go to the kitchen…" he said in the voice of a conquered man.

Yuuki trailed quietly behind them keeping a long distance in order to avoid being caught. If she got anywhere within thirty feet of them, Zero's keen senses would pick her up like a state of the art motion sensitive alarm system.

Hunter remained on Zero's back as he gave her a piggyback ride to the kitchen. It was little known to Yuuki but for them this was the norm whenever Hunter was hungry. She often attacked the vampire and sometimes even went rabid. There was one instance where she bit him because he refused to feed her. "Don't bite the hand that feeds," is what they say but Zero was refusing to feed her, giving her all the reasons she needed to bite him.

She watched them as Zero opened the refrigerator with the girl still on his back. "C'mon, you need get off me if you want me to make you that steak," he said calmly. Hunter obediently jumped off his back and perched herself up on one of the counters, swinging her feet in the air like a child. Yuuki never thought that Hunter could be this childish. It completely destroyed her image of this calm and collected person she came off as.

When Zero finished the steak done extra rare just the way Hunter liked it, the girl squeaked happily and jumped off the counter. She grabbed the plate from him and walked away humming with a butcher knife and a fork.

It was hard for her to turn away from the scene but there were a lot of things she had to ponder over. She knew that the longer she would stay the more questions she would have. One thing that was certain was that they did spend a lot of time together. Now there was the question as to why they spent so much time together. What was it that made them so close? What did Hunter have or do to be allowed to treat Zero like that? Did that mean they were really dating? Was Zero lying to her?

Questions running through her mind, Yuuki headed towards her dorm that she shared with her best friend. When she walked in she found Yori still awake and reading a book.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"I…I don't know what to think," Yuuki admitted openly. "Do you think Zero and I are close?" she asked her, finding her own insecurities gnawing at her insides.

"Well, I certainly do think you're the only one able to handle him," Yori admitted truthfully.

"Un," she replied though she was unsure if what Yori said was still true.

* * * * * *

Day two of the investigation began uneventfully. Both Zero and Hunter were asleep during lectures and didn't do anything that would indicate a romantic relationship. _Something's off…_Yuuki thought eyeing the two. Maybe something happened after she left them?

However, there were still two other suspects in this mystery she had to consider: Akatsuki Kain and Aido Hanabusa. Today she was going to investigate them.

When classes ended she headed straight to the gates that separated the Moon Dorms from the rest of the campus. It was still too early for the Night Class to come out so there were no love crazed teenage girls around. There were a lot of props to being a Perfect. Especially in situations like these. It was like having an unlimited access to restricted areas.

Yuuki gave the guard a small nod as she passed him and walked down the cobblestone walkway that lead to the Moon Dorm.

Her knuckles rapped on the heavy wooden door. The sound of footsteps came from the other side followed by the creak of the door. "Yuuki-san! What a surprise…" Akatsuki said genuinely surprised by the girl's visit. "Are you here to see Kaname-sama?" he asked.

"N-no, I'm here to see Aido-sempai…is he around?"She asked.

"Oh…he's in the back gardens," Kain answered slightly confused as to what the Perfect could possibly want from Hanabusa at the moment.

"Ah, I know this is a bit weird, but are you and Hunter-san dating? There are rumors…" Yuuki said looking away embarrassed she was asking him that.

Kain looked at her briefly then laughed. "Nah," he said. "We're just friends," he added with amusement dancing in his eyes.

Yuuki felt even more awkward now. "Sorry for troubling you, I'll go see Aido-sempai now," she said and walked away.

"No problem," Kain said and closed the door.

This mystery was turning out even more complicated than she originally expected it to be. Zero denied dating Hunter and so did Akatsuki. Did that mean Aido was dating her? But when did Akatsuki and Hunter become friends?

"This is so confusing…" she said aloud to herself as she made her way to the back gardens. It wasn't long before she spotted Aido's mop of messy blonde hair sticking out over the array of dying foliage.

"Um…Aido-sempai…" she said timidly not wanting to scare him. Getting turned into an ice sculpture was not on her to-do-list at the moment.

"Yuuki-chan!" Aido greeted turning around. "What brings you here? Have you changed your mind and you're here to offer me your blood?" he asked feeling hopeful.

"No, I'm here to ask you something…" she replied, her eyes finding the bald trees more interesting than him.

"Hm?" He voiced, urging her on.

"A-are you and Hunter-san dating? There are rumors…" she asked feeling this was the best way to phrase her question.

The blonde vampire stared at her momentarily dumbfounded before smiling. "No, no…we're not dating, I'd like to drink her blood though – it smells very delicious…" he said dreamily.

* * * * * *

Yuuki couldn't believe it. The three of them denied dating Hunter. Did those girls hear them wrong then? Were they making those things up? Or was there something else she wasn't aware of?

Raking a hand through her hair she chewed over the puzzle in her mind. Deeply lost in her thoughts she didn't pay attention where she was going and bumped into someone, sending them both crashing to the floor.

"Sorry!" she apologized fervently.

"No need to apologize," Hunter said as she brushed herself off and stood up, offering Yuuki a hand.

Yuuki looked up at her hand before taking it and the raven-haired girl pulled her back up to feet. "Should be more careful," Hunter said in her usual calm way.

The Hunter before her was nothing like the Hunter she saw last night with Zero. She wasn't acting childish nor was she anywhere friendly. Just cool, calm, and collected. An idea sparked in her head. She should ask Hunter whether she was dating anyone or not.

"Um, Hunter-san….there are rumors going around that you're dating Zero-kun, is that true?" she asked the taller girl.

Hunter eyed her as if she grew another head with one eye. Refocusing she looked away. "Che, as if someone would date that sour puss! I'd rather eat nails," Hunter replied agitated. Her words startled Yuuki.

"Then what about Akatsuki-sempai?" He was the number two suspect in this mystery.

"Nope," Hunter replied flatly. She still wanted to strangle him for biting her. Last night after Zero left her in her room Aido had to sit on her to keep her from attacking Kain. When she changed targets he ended up hiding in the corner saying things like "I love you! Please don't hurt me!" like a coward.

"Aido-sempai?" Yuuki asked feeling hopeless.

"Uh…no," The wolf replied flatly once more.

"Ah, so the rumors aren't true…" Yuuki said in an almost disappointed way. All this fuss for nothing, or was there something she wasn't seeing? "Ah, I have to go, the Chairman wanted to see me," she added then hurried away from Hunter.

Hunter stared after the shorter girl for a few seconds before continuing on.

* * * * * *

"What did you want to see me about, Chairman?" Yuuki asked the Chairman who was also her adoptive father.

"Call me 'father' Yuuki, you don't always have to be so formal with me," the blonde man said as he looked out the window of his office.

"I'll be leaving the academy for several days, I want you to take good care of this place in my absence…" Kaien said turning back around to face the girl.

"I will, father," Yuuki replied, ready for the challenge.

"That's my daughter!!!!" Kaien exclaimed with teary eyes, extending his arms to hug his daughter but missing and falling to the floor in a heap.

* * * * * *

"So what did you find out?! Is that evil woman dating my precious Idol-sama?!" Junko asked impatiently.

"Yeah, what did you find out?" Hana asked as she joined in with the rest of the girls and Shin, all wanting to hear what Yuuki has learned.

"They all denied it," Yuuki said but still felt as if she was missing something. Something very important.

"I'm so glad! My Hunter-chan isn't with that monster!" Shin exclaimed relieved.

"Wait…what?" Manami asked confused. "If they're not dating then why are they hanging out like that?" she asked.

Yuuki sighed. "Zero said that he'd never date Hunter, Akatsuki-sempai said they were friends and Aido-sempai – he just said no…" She answered omitting some details they were better off not knowing. Like Aido wanting to drink Hunter's blood.

"I even asked Hunter-san if she was dating anyone and she flat out said no too," Yuuki added with another thoughtful sigh.

A wave of relief seemed to wash over everyone but Yuuki. Yori noticed it and looked at her worriedly. "Is everything okay, Yuuki?" she asked.

"Yeah," the brunette replied.

Yuuki sighed as she gathered her things. There was definitely more to the dating rumors than she was hearing. There was also something that the four in question were hiding. There was also something she wasn't seeing…but what was it?

* * *

Random Crack.

This has nothing to do with the story, just a random thought of "what if" this happened?

**~Zero's Pet~**

More…more blood is what he wanted. Rido's fangs tore viciously into yet another Level-E's throat, his blood thirst never quenching. When he was done with the lowly vampire, he dropped her limp body like trash before it turned to sand.

"Gross…" a feminine voice said.

His heterochromatic eyes studied the raven haired girl before him. "Hey there little girl, what's your name?" he asked thinking she'd be a good meal. Young energetic blood was always tasty.

"As if I'd tell you," Hunter replied not caring that the man before her was a pureblood vampire.

Startled that she wasn't flocking to him like a moth to the fire, he eyed her suspiciously. Smelling the air around them, amidst the blood and his own scent, hers did not match either human or vampire. "You're neither a vampire nor a human, what are you?" he asked her, his mind still focused on drinking her blood.

Hunter shrugged. "Beats me," she said nonchalantly.

He licked his lips hungrily. It didn't matter what she was, he wanted blood and he was going to get it. In the blink of an eye he lunged for the girl, his claws and fangs drawn, ready to sink into her tender flesh.

The main advantage a werewolf always had over a vampire was their reflexes. Just as fast as Rido lunged at her, she was up on a tree, leaving him with nothing to bite but air – and tree bark.

"W-what are you?" Rido stuttered as he spit out some tree bark.

"What the hell was that you fanged freak? Who the fuck gave you permission to bite me, huh? I never said I was on the menu you bastard!" Hunter raged from the tree branch she perched herself on.

Annoyed, Rido lunged for her again. Hunter hissed at him like a cat as she moved out of his reach.

"Damn dog, get down here now!"Came Zero's voice as he carried a leash in his hand.

"That asshole down there wants to eat me!" Hunter yelled from the tree. Rido swiped at her again, making her hiss.

"Stop hissing Hunter, you're not a cat, you're a werewolf for crying out loud!" Zero yelled from the bottom of the tree.

"I don't care! _Hiss_…" she yelled from the tree.

"Hunter! Get down here now!" Zero yelled demanding her cooperation. He was going to give her a flea bath and she ran away from him.

Rido watched the exchange confused. So that hissing thing up in the tree was actually a werewolf? Weren't they more – violent? Wouldn't a real werewolf attack him instead? What was going on?

"No! I'm never coming down!" Hunter yelled climbing higher.

Zero growled annoyed from the ground. "Fine! I won't give you that flea bath today!" He said hoping it'd get her down.

"I don't believe you!" she retorted from her spot.

"I swear not to give you a bath today! I'll even make your favorite steak if you come down," Zero said trying to bargain with the wolf in the tree. "_Extra rare with blood and fresh herbs_…" He added in a sing song voice. "Finest cut beef too," he said hoping that taunting her with food would work.

Hunter drooled at the thought of her favorite food. A large, fresh and bloody prime steak, done extra rare just the way she liked it.

She jumped down from the tree straight onto Zero, wrapping herself around him like a monkey. "You better make me that steak," she threatened, with nothing more but food on her mind.

"Done, after I give you that flea bath," he said as he tacked the leash onto her collar.

"W-what!?! You liar! You said no flea bath!" Hunter yelled angrily as she struggled against the leash.

Zero ignored her struggles as he dragged her past the dumbfounded Rido. "Honestly," he said to the pureblood. "If you ever decide to get a pet, NEVER get a dog. Get a cat, I'm dead serious…" he finished and continued on as he dragged the werewolf back to the bathroom where he was going to give her the very much needed flea bath.


	16. Running Scared

**NOTE: This chapter is a partial combination of what happened in the last chapter. It's confusing so here's a summary of what happened. **

**Yuuki was asked by her classmates to find out if the rumors of Hunter dating any of the 3 main guys were true. **

**She agreed to help them out because she was curious herself. She started her quest with Zero by asking him to do their homework together. THE FIRST THREE PARTS of THIS CHAPTER are what happened when she wasn't stalking Zero. Basically - Zero leaves Hunter to do his homework with Yuuki. Paranoid that Hunter lied to him, he kept looking out the window until he spotted her running out of the academy and went running out of Chairman's office after her. **

**What happened then is in this chapter. **

**When Zero is gone for over an hour Yuuki decides to go find out where he's gone off to and she finds him and Hunter in the hallway. (Ch.15)**

**The next day Yuuki investigates Kain and Aido. I don't write about what really went on between Zero and Hunter that day because they slept through most of it anyway. (Ch.15)**

**After all that, Yuuki tells the students of her findings, but is unhappy with the results and is determined to find out the real truth.**

**And then we have the rest of the story. (Ch.16)**

**Hope this helps.**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-16: Running Scared-**

"_On a bed of rusted nails I lay,  
Just waiting for the sun to fade,  
I try to escape this, but I'm lost inside,  
I'm lost forever…"_

Eighteen Visions – Coma

"Yuuki asked me for help with some homework, think you can be alone for an hour or two and not cause any trouble?" Zero asked her as he they stood in the doorway to her room.

Hunter yawned. "Yeah," she said as she smiled leaning against the open door, catching his suspicious eyes studying her. "Don't worry," she said. "I'm going straight to bed, I'm tired," she added convincingly.

Zero studied her for a brief second, his violet eyes searching for the hidden lie behind the crystals of her blue ones. Not finding anything he gave her a small nod and turned on his heel. Hunter watched his retreating figure for a brief second before closing the door and stripping off her uniform.

In her night clothes, she slid between the covers that still carried a faint scent of both Kain and Hanabusa. It's been two days since they've been in her room. If it wasn't for her keen wolf nose she wouldn't be able to tell they were in her bed that morning. The memory of Kain biting her played in her mind like a movie. _I'll get you back for this_…she thought vengefully as she touched her bruised neck.

All homicidal thoughts aside, Hunter felt tired and just as she promised Zero all she was going to do is sleep. However, despite her exhaustion there were too many things on her mind.

Hunter rolled over on her bed and looked at the chair in which Zero always sat, either cleaning his gun or reading a book. Without the soft turns of the pages of the books he read, or the gentle glide of a cloth against his handgun, her room felt eerily quiet. While she cherished her moments of solitude, especially without Zero's cranky attitude, for the first time she found her room being too quiet and too empty without him.

A yawn escaped her lips, telling her to abandon all contemplations and surrender to the sleep's embrace. Obeying her body's commands, it wasn't long before she was enveloped in a deep unconsciousness.

* * * * * *

_Tap, tap, tap_…the water dripped down somewhere in the darkness. Hunter's silver eyes scanned the surrounding walls, her instincts looking for an escape from the dark musty room. Like a restless beast, she paced the cellar's confines, her hand gliding against the slippery bricks of the wall.

When her hand fell upon a wet rotting wooden surface a small smile etched itself on her face. This was her escape – the door she was looking for. Hunter knew that behind that door was going to be a long and musty hallway that she must run through before reaching the real exist. Or at least that's what she was expecting. With a small push, the rotting door protested on its rusty hinges as it gave way.

Instead of more darkness and cold, a wave of heat washed over her as hot flames licked the walls and blinded her sensitive eyes.

_Where am I?_ She wondered as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. Walking further in, it wasn't long before the smoke and the acrid stench of burning flesh flooded her senses. Knowing it wasn't her own flesh that was aflame, there must be someone else with her in this inferno.

"Hunter, wake up!" a girl's voice called. The voice sounded familiar. It was soft and light – like an angel's. Following the voice calling her name, Hunter came upon another door. Pushing it open she realized she was back at the orphanage, before her Michelle was trying to shake her awake.

"Hunter, wake up! We need to get out of here!" Michelle yelled shaking the sleeping girl.

"Michelle…I'm over here…" Hunter said in a quiet voice from where she stood, afraid it'd break if she spoke any louder.

The wolf watched helplessly as the auburn haired girl dragged her other self out of the small bed, holding her hand tightly. Hunter watched them run across the room and Michelle yank open the door she just walked through. "Michelle, I'm right here…" Hunter said hopelessly once more, this time reaching her hand out to the girl she called her best friend for many years only to find it go through her.

"Am I a ghost?" Hunter wondered aloud realizing that Michelle never heard her in the first place.

Michelle held on tightly to the other Hunter as she dragged her through the burning tunnels that once where hallways of the orphanage. The silver-eyed Hunter ran after them, the flames hungrily licking her skin, wanting to devour her along with everything else.

Suddenly the ceiling joists above broke and the flaming timbers came crashing down in front of them, blocking their path. The floor then caved in, sending both Hunter and her other self falling through with debris to bury them alive.

Another loud crash resounded above Hunter followed by a scream.

* * * * * * *

"Michelle!" Hunter yelled, as she sat up awake in her bed. Her eyes wildly darted about the room, her mind still expecting to be inside the inferno. Covered in sweat, she sat there taking in ragged breaths that shook her body. _Just a dream, just a dream…_she chanted mentally as she raked a shaky hand through her damp hair.

Looking over at her alarm clock she noticed she's been asleep for only thirty minutes. Taking another look around her dark room she felt the walls closing in on her. Feeling claustrophobic, she slid her legs over the edge of her bed and sat there for a few seconds before heaving herself up. Legs shaking, Hunter made her way to her duffel bag, pulling out a black zip-up hoodie and a pair of jeans.

Her legs almost gave out as she pulled the jeans on. Stumbling, Hunter found a pair of socks and quickly put them on with shaking hands before shoving her feet into her uniform boots, not bothering to tie her shoe laces. Dressed, she ran out of her room.

Like a wild animal, Hunter came running down the hallways of the main academy building before reaching the front door that would lead her outside. When she opened the door, a wave of cold night air hit her head on, lifting her damp hair and cooling her down as it did so.

However, her panic wasn't going to let her enjoy the fresh air. Instead, her instincts drove her on, sending her running even faster – away from the confines of the building. Running like a gazelle being chased by a lion, she jumped over hedges, her feet nothing more but quiet thuds against the damp grass. It wasn't long before she found herself having covered most of the grounds and nearing a dead end.

Skidding to a halt, she twisted her body around to start running another direction when her body collided with someone else's.

"What's gotten into you?!" Zero asked partially yelling as he grabbed her shoulders roughly to keep her from running. Breathing heavily he looked into her saucer-like wild eyes searching for an answer. He's been running after her yelling her name since he saw her from the Chairman's office running like a spooked horse. Initially he thought she was sneaking out again, probably going to see Akatsuki too, but when she continued to run despite him calling her name he realized something was wrong.

Forehead slick with sweat, her hair sticking to her face, and her heart beating a million beats per second as she struggled to breathe, Hunter wildly thrashed in Zero's vice-like grip. "Hunter! What's wrong?" He yelled giving her a shake, hoping it would bring her out of whatever state she was in.

Unresponsive, Hunter's wild eyes darted about looking for an escape. "Hunter!" he yelled once more, this time shoving her back against a tree. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs, stopping all her movements. Paralyzed and limp, she slid down onto the damp grass before she coughed and gasped.

Zero looked down at the shaking girl not knowing what to do. He kneeled down next to her, the moist grass dampening his knees. "What's wrong?" he asked her calmly, trying not to startle the panicked girl.

Hunter didn't look at him as her convulsive breathing shook her already trembling body. "Hunter?" he called out her name calmly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched under his touch like a frightened animal.

Sweating and breathing hard, Hunter's dark tunnel vision threatened to close in and render her blind with each passing second. A pair of strong arms took hold of her trembling body, pulling her into a warm darkness. Blind, she struggled to regain her sight, her body wanting nothing more but to run.

Zero tightened his hold as Hunter struggled in his arms. It took him a while to realize that she was having a panic attack. "Shh…" he cooed trying to calm the panicked girl as he pet her damp hair.

Hunter slowly stopped struggling but her body continued to tremble. "Shh, it's okay, it's okay…" Zero said softly trying to calm her down as he rocked them back and forth. They stayed like that for a while, surrounded by the darkness, before Hunter calmed down.

When her heart stopped beating a million beats per minute and her breathing returned to normal, Zero pushed her gently away and lifted her small chin to make her face him. "Are you okay now?" he asked cautiously, not wanting a repeat of five minutes ago.

She looked at him with expressionless eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said pushing him away.

Zero stood up and offered her a hand. "What happened?" he asked as he pulled her up.

"Nothing," she replied avoiding his scrutinizing gaze.

"Don't tell me it was nothing right after running like that!" he said frustrated.

Hunter looked at him wide eyed before laughing. "What?!" He yelled getting agitated with her and not understanding what could possibly be funny about the situation.

"You-r h-hair," she croaked out between laughs as she pointed at his head. Leaves and small pieces of branches stuck out of his silver hair in an odd way.

"What?" He asked as he looked up at his hair not catching on to what she was saying.

Hunter walked up to him and gently pulled out the foliage that didn't belong in his hair. "Hold still," she said as he moved away, startled by her action.

She stood up on her toes to untangle a leaf from his hair at the top of his head, her face coming dangerously close to his own. Uncomfortable with the proximity, Zero took hold of her wrists and pushed her away. She looked at him quizzically as he held her in place. "What happened back there?" he asked in a serious tone.

The girl looked away once more, avoiding his gaze. It was just a panic attack – caused by a nightmare. She felt silly for reacting like that to a stupid nightmare. Her body trembled at the memory of falling through the floor and Michelle's blood curling scream above her. "It was nothing, I just felt claustrophobic and panicked," she said confidently, though her body betrayed her.

As convincing as she sounded, he wasn't buying her words. He wasn't stupid and knew she was only telling him a part of the story. Unfortunately, whatever it was she wanted to keep it to herself and wasn't going to tell him anytime soon. "Fine," he said almost annoyed, "let's go back."

Hunter watched as he turned away from her, clearly unhappy with her, but there was no way she could admit to something as stupid as getting a panic attack because of a nightmare. Trying to follow him, she took several steps forward before her knees buckled underneath her.

Zero turned around to look at her and watched as she struggled to regain her footing like a newborn foal. "C'mon, get on my back," he said with a sigh as he crouched with his back facing her.

"Thanks," she said positioning herself on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly as he lifted her off the ground and began walking.

"What for?" he asked in a detached tone.

"I'm always causing you trouble…" she replied leaning her head against his, burying half of her face in his hair as she did so.

"Don't worry about it, it's my job to watch out for you," he said in an indifferent voice.

Watching out for Hunter was his job indeed. Not a job he enjoyed, but a job nonetheless. Chairman asked him to look out for the werewolf and he owed that old man that much for taking him in. It was all impersonal, just like being a Perfect was. The only thing that he took personally was being a vampire hunter. His goal in life was to exterminate all those fanged bastards.

"Yeah, I know…" Hunter said grimly. "I'm still sorry for causing you so much trouble…it'll end soon though," she added cryptically. "Thanks for everything," she added giving him a small kiss on the neck.

The touch of her lips on his skin sent tingles through his body, but it was her words that ran through his mind. _It'll end soon though_...what did she mean by that?

* * * * * *

Hunter stretched with a loud yawn. Looking around her room, her eyes fell upon Zero's unconscious form. He fell asleep in his chair the previous night and was now cuddled up with the blanket she put over him to keep him from catching a cold. It was weird how they both slept most of the day yesterday and then the whole night. She couldn't remember a thing any of the teachers said.

Tip-toeing across the room, she walked up to him, gently brushing his bangs out of his eyes. "Time to wake up…" she whispered softly into his ear.

The vampire stirred, looking at her with sleep clouded eyes. "Morning," she said with a smile. Zero gave her a small nod before eyeing the blanket like an extraterrestrial being.

"Can't have you catching a cold now, can we?" Hunter teased with a smile before turning away from him and getting dressed.

He watched her put on her uniform just like he did almost every morning he was on duty. Did Akatsuki and Aido watch her get dressed too? Shaking the thought, he got out of the chair, feeling sore like an old man. A grunt escaped his lips catching Hunter's attention.

"You okay?" she asked buttoning up her white blouse.

"Yeah…" he replied gruffly, trying to crack his aching back.

Hunter grinned and walked up to him, wearing nothing more but her underwear and blouse. She wrapped her arms around his torso and squeezed him hard, cracking his lower back. "Better now?" she asked looking up as she held on to him.

"Y-yeah…" he answered feeling uncomfortable in her hold.

Hunter let him go and picked up her skirt. She bent over in front of him giving him a full view of her behind as she pulled the skirt up. "I'm going to change," he said hoarsely and left her room.

"Don't forget to make me breakfast!" Hunter yelled after him. "I want scrambled eggs with bacon and orange juice!" she added pulling on a sock.

"Got it!" he yelled back, knowing she'd torture him if he didn't make her breakfast.

* * * * * *

The day flew by, class after class, boring lecture after boring lecture. The wolf and the vampire were now resting in one of the academy's gardens. Zero was leaning against a tree while Hunter was sprawled on the grass. "Care to remind me why are we here again?" she asked dispassionately as she picked up a fallen leaf.

"Akatsuki and Aido want to talk to us about something," he replied in the same dispassionate tone as her.

"And what would that be?" she asked from the ground. He shrugged, letting her know he didn't know either.

"Well you two look like you're having a lovely party…for the dead," Hanabusa said as he and Kain approached the two.

"This better be good…" Hunter said lifting herself off the ground.

"My, so lively Hunter-chan, I bet your blood tastes delicious right now," Hanabusa said mischievously.

"Yeah, well I wonder how you'd taste slow roasted over open fire," Hunter retorted with an evil grin.

The vampire gulped nervously. As innocent as the girl looked, she could be scary when she wanted to be.

"Why did you want to see us?" Zero asked getting straight to the point. He had no intentions of beating around the bush and he definitely wasn't there for a family picnic.

"Straight to the point, as always, Kiriyuu-san," Kain said amused as he exchanged a brief glance with Zero.

"Yesterday…your lovely Yuuki-chan paid us an unusual visit…" Kain began mysteriously, carefully watching the Perfect's expression as it hardened at the mention of his beloved. "She asked us an unusual question…" he added trailing off.

Hunter lifted an inquisitive brow. What was he on about?

"She asked us whether we were dating Hunter-san or not," Hanabusa finished as he scratched the back of his head.

"Did she ask you guys a similar question?" Kain asked, eyeing the two. Judging by the looks they exchanged, he could tell she asked them about their relationship as well.

"There's something fishy going on…" Aido said looking around, his vampire senses picking up something.

"Well, what did you tell her?" Hunter asked Kain as she stepped closer to him, her tone threatening.

"I only said we were friends…" Kain replied with amusement, unfazed by her threats.

"Good," she said. "I still have every intention of making you regret what you did," she said in a deathly tone before turning away from him.

Zero watched their exchange confused. He thought they liked each other. Yet an unexpected wave of relief washed over him when he realized that he might be wrong about their relationship after all.

A fallen branch broke behind him, the noise catching his attention. Turning around, a flicker of familiar brown hair told him who and what it was.

"What are you doing here?" He asked aggravated as he picked up Yuuki by the back of her shirt.

"A-ah, I was just taking a walk?" Yuuki said scared, trying to hide the real reason she was there.

Zero didn't believe a word she said but couldn't stay mad at her. "How much did you hear?" he asked defeated.

"Everything," she replied blushing.

"Hey, Zero, what are you doing over there?" Hunter asked as she looked over at him. "Yuuki?" she asked surprised when she spotted the girl.

"She heard everything," Zero said putting her back down. Kain and Hanabusa exchanged quick glances before looking at Yuuki.

"So what's with all those 'rumors' you talked about?" Hunter was the first to ask.

"Some students asked me to find out if you guys were dating…" Yuuki replied feeling uncomfortable under the scrutinizing looks of the four. "They…they were suspicious after seeing and hearing some things…" she added uncomfortably.

"What kind of things?" Zero asked, not liking the situation.

"One of the girls said she sees you with Hunter-san all the time," she offered as she motioned towards Hunter.

"So why did you agree to find out for them?" Kain asked with a serious expression.

"I was curious if the rumors were true…especially since Zero hasn't been around much lately I wanted to know what he was up to," Yuuki answered honestly.

Her words sent a pang of guilt through Zero. It tore and gnawed at his conscience like a ferocious internal parasite. He's neglected Yuuki all this time while he was preoccupied with Hunter.

"I think it's time she learned the truth," Hunter said. "After all, she is a Perfect, isn't she?" she added looking straight at Yuuki.

* * * * * *

"A-a werewolf?" Yuuki asked stunned as they sat in the Chairman's office.

"Yep," Hunter nodded solemnly as she held on to her cup of freshly brewed tea.

"But how?" the brunette asked, the information being too overwhelming for her to comprehend.

"Hell if I know, I just found out recently myself," Hunter replied rubbing the mark behind her ear.

They told her about Hunter being a werewolf and explained how Zero was made her primary "guardian" while Kain and Hanabusa occasionally switched places with him to watch over the wolf. The main reason for the tight security being the fact that they never knew when Hunter would change into her wolf-self and if she could control herself while in that state.

They also explained to her that Akatsuki and Aido were in on the case because Kain figured out what Hunter was on his own, dragging Hanabusa along with him since the two were almost always together. After all that was cleared up, Kain explained to her what kind of werewolf Hunter was and that coming across her kind was very rare.

"Then how come I was kept in the dark?" Yuuki asked feeling like she deserved to know about something as important as this. She's been protecting the vampires and the humans from each other all these years, there was no reason for anyone to keep this from her.

Hunter shrugged. "I don't think the Chairman wanted to drag you into this," she said thoughtfully. "It's a lot to take in and you already have plenty on your plate," she added as she stretched.

The door to the office opened. "What's this? Were you guys waiting for me?" Kaien Cross asked as he walked into his office, genuinely surprised that he had company. "Is there anything wrong?" the blonde man asked confused as to why Yuuki was with them also.

"We told Yuuki…" Zero said, explaining why there was one more person in their usual group of four.

Kaien nodded understanding exactly what was going on. He intended to keep this from Yuuki for her own good, but she was a bright girl and would question things sooner or later.

"Well, doesn't matter!" the man said brightly. "Come on in! Meet the crew!" He said cheerily to the open door.

Just when they thought the old man has gone insane, a person walked in through the door.

"Guys – _and_ girls, meet Bernardino-san!" Kaien said introducing the newcomer.

"Please, call me Lycian," the boy said with a pearly white smile.

The five of them eyed the newcomer suspiciously. He looked about seventeen to eighteen years old, had olive skin, curly dark brown hair and deep chocolate brown eyes. Yet the most suspicious of them all was Hunter. There was a familiar scent about him.

"Lycian-san is a werewolf like you, Hunter-chan," Cross added, shocking the living hell out of them.


	17. Taking Control

**Note: Thanks for all the comments. And thanks to aRLegOdDesS for pointing out that mistake of mine. It's a really stupid mistake and I actually feel retarted knowing that I made it. This entire time I've been reading it as "prefects" but writing it as "perfects" and never noticed. Maybe I should go get my eyes checked? And yeah, I will go back in chapters and fix that mistake when I find the time to do so. **

**Anyway, this chapter is mostly centered around Hunter, Zero and Lycian (the new werewolf). I hate introductions so I skipped through most of the "Hi my name is..." but I still couldn't avoid not explaining things. Chapters to come will be much more exciting.**

**Clarification: the Benandanti were an authentic occult group back in the 1500's through 1600's. They were also prosecuted by the Church under the Inqusition. Whether they were werewolves or not is up for debate but for the purpose of this story I say they were. **

**P.S. I think Zero is a little OCish in this chapter, if I have overstepped my boundries of messing with his character let me know.**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-17: Taking Control-**

"_All the lonely people,  
Where do they all come from?  
All the lonely people,  
Where do they all belong?"_

Godhead – Eleanor Rigby

She sat on the window ledge in a contemplative silence and every time she exhaled her warm breath fogged up the icy cold glass. The cold night air snuck in around the frame and brushed softly against her skin, making it almost as cold as the glass itself. The waxing moon hung high and proudly in the cloudless sky, illuminating her with its silver glow. In a few days, it would be full.

_Benandanti werewolves_…she thought. They were men who assumed the shape of wolves to fight witches – men who called themselves the hounds of God. Their origins date back to late 1500's and an old man named Thiess. The old man claimed that they, the werewolves, descended to Hell after the witches to fight them there. In the end, when the 1600's came, just like every non-Christian group they were prosecuted under the Inquisition. Identified as the very witches they claimed to have fought.

Ironic, isn't it? History books say that the Benandanti cult became extinct under the pressure of the Inquisition, but if that were true, then what was Lycian, a Benandanti werewolf, doing at Cross Academy? The young werewolf claimed that the clan might have ceased to exist on the surface but it still continued to thrive out of sight of the accusatory eyes of the Church. Whether that was true or not, was up for debate. She wasn't there to see the pack's wellness with her own eyes.

Aside from that, how did Kaien Cross find him? The eccentric headmaster said he had a hunch and decided to head off on a two day trip to Italy. He told Yuuki that he was leaving. No one else noticed that he was even gone. Makes one wonder how the man manages to take care of the academy…

Cross explained that while taking a break from sightseeing at a local tavern he ran into a group of hunters – werewolf hunters. They told him that there was a werewolf pack still roaming northern Italy – Friuli district to be exact. When he got to Friuli, looking for a pack of werewolves there was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Eventually, all thanks to luck, the werewolves found him and he was able to present Hunter's case to the pack.

When the alpha male heard of Hunter being a rare descendant of a Norse demigod, he found himself intrigued. So intrigued, that he sent his eldest son to go see Hunter personally.

_And now we're all here_, Hunter thought as she looked up at the glittering stars. She appreciated that Chairman Cross went to such extent to help her, but she didn't feel she deserved it. Since she arrived at the academy she had been nothing more but a chore and a burden.

Lycian was here to help her gain control of her inner beast. To teach her how to live as what she is without compromising her human side. Personally, she would have rather been left alone but after seeing the Chairman's happiness there was no way she could refuse. _At least it'll make them happy right?_ She wondered.

Happiness. It seemed so out of reach for her. Was she ever happy?

Memories of her life at the orphanage flashed before her eyes. She was such a troublemaker. The memory of her and Michelle pinky-swearing to be best friends forever under a cherry blossom tree played in her mind. Back then she was happy.

_Michelle, are you okay?_ She wondered looking at the moon. Was her friend really okay? No one has allowed her to even call Michelle. She didn't even know where she was. How she was doing. If she would ever see her again…

The nightmare she had came to her mind. The fire, the stench, and the blood curling scream. Was Michelle really okay?

Zero walked into Hunter's room without knocking and was surprised when she didn't yell at him for not knocking. Instead, the girl sat on the window ledge, lost in another world.

He walked up to her. "Hunter?" he asked tentatively, hoping she wouldn't attack him or something.

"Hn?" she voiced in confusion, as if he just broke her out of a trance. Her deep blue eyes looking at him lost.

"You okay?" he asked wondering what was wrong with her. She seemed to be on some sort of roller coaster since the night of her panic attack.

Hunter smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine," she lied. She was anything but fine. What she wanted was to see Michelle and make sure she was okay. Everyone's been too secretive about her friend's whereabouts. Her nightmares still haunted her and were getting worse. To top her list of worries, the full moon was coming.

"You don't look fine," Zero replied. She damned him for his perceptiveness as he spoke.

He took a seat next to her on the ledge. "The sky's really clear today," Hunter said looking up at the dark cloudless canvas that was littered with glittering stars and a large moon.

_Changing the topic as always_, he thought eyeing her. She looked as if there was something on her mind. Tearing his eyes away from her, he looked up at the same moon she was looking at. Judging by its location and size, it meant it was going to be a full moon soon. Was she worried about that?

"What are you thinking about?" he asked not looking at her.

Hunter turned to look at him. "Stupid stuff," she said giving him a childish lopsided smile.

_Liar_, he thought. If it was stupid stuff she would have yelled at him for not knocking when he came in.

"Is it about the full moon?" he asked motioning towards the large silver orb in the sky with his head.

"Sort of? Nah, not really, no…" she said looking away.

"Are you thinking about Lycian?" He asked suspiciously.

Hunter looked at him and smirked, "I was…"

The vampire looked at her quizzically, urging her on to continue.

"I feel weird having someone else of my kind around, to be honest," she said looking away once more, her gaze almost longingly lingering on the moon.

"How so?" he asked studying her intently. Every little clue could help him decide whether or not he would have to use the leash the Headmaster bound them with.

She shrugged. "There's something weird about him, can't place my finger on it though."

"Well the guy is a little weird," Zero said thoughtfully, agreeing with her suspicions towards the new werewolf.

Hunter punched him playfully in the arm. "That's mean, I said there was something weird about him, I never said he was weird," she said with a small laugh.

He didn't reply to her remark. The newcomer was definitely weird in his eyes and there was something suspicious about him. But then again, he was suspicious of everyone. Hunter looked at the moon again with the same longing in her eyes. Was it really longing? He watched her closely as they sat in a rather comfortable silence. The more he studied her eyes and expression the clearer it became to him that it wasn't longing that he saw but sorrow.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked her again.

Hunter threw him a quick glance, "yeah."

It'd be much easier for him if she just told him what was going on in that mind of hers. If he only knew what was wrong with her he wouldn't be sitting there paranoid about having to chase her again.

"Hunter…" he began, his tone demanding an honest answer.

She placed her hand over his gently, her touch feather light – a little and meaningless action but powerful enough to tear a shock of electricity through his body. "It's nothing, honestly," she said reassuringly with a small sincere smile, even though her words were a lie. There was no way she would ever admit to being troubled by something as stupid as nightmares.

He looked deeply and hard into the crystalline pools of icy blue, trying to find the hidden lie behind her eyes. The way she said it was convincing enough, so he decided to drop it. For now that is.

"Are you staying the night?" she asked him in her usual tone as she took her hand away, all traces of earlier troubles gone from her face.

"No," he began. "I'll be in the room next to yours if you need anything," he said as he got up.

Hunter looked at him almost disappointed. He couldn't tell whether she really was or not because her expression changed quickly.

"Alright," she smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

He gave her a small nod and left her room

* * * * * *

Mind hazed with sleep deprivation, Hunter struggled to keep her focus on Lycian. Her eyelids felt as if they weighed a ton and that she would need toothpicks and duct tape to keep them open. Or maybe she should staple them open? Her nightmares haunted her again last night, not letting her get any sleep.

"C'mon Hunter, _focus_, I need you to focus," Lycian said as they sat on the library floor. He was trying to teach her how to meditate in order to achieve control of her inner self.

_Tell me to focus one more time and I'll rip your guts out_, Hunter thought angrily, wanting nothing more than to snuggle up in her bed.

Zero stood leaning against one of the tables, watching the scene before him with mild amusement. Now he knew that whatever Hunter wasn't telling him was keeping her up at night. At least she didn't run off anywhere. He knew that because he used the leash that bound them. It was quite convenient, he realized.

Even though Lycian was around now, for some reason Chairman Cross still had Zero watching Hunter. Neither of the two understood why, but they also didn't mind it as much anymore since they both grew accustomed to each other's presence.

"Straighten your back, it's necessary when you sit in the lotus position," Lycian instructed as he straightened Hunter's back.

"Now breathe in, breathe out," he said as he took on the same position opposite of her. "Relax…" he said and realized she wasn't even listening to him. She was dead asleep. He growled frustrated as he tapped his fingers on his knee.

"How do you keep her awake?" Lycian asked looking at Zero.

The vampire shrugged, "she's either up or asleep, there's no special way to keep her awake."

Lycian sighed. "What if I give her coffee?" he asked feeling hopeful.

"Then you'll have a ferret on crack," Zero replied nonchalantly with a shrug.

Lycian growled again out of frustration. How was he supposed to teach Hunter anything when she wasn't going to cooperate with him? He saw her sleep through all of her classes that he shared with her and she was still asleep. How much sleep did that girl need?

"Tomorrow's Saturday, is she free tomorrow?" he asked the vampire.

Zero gave him a small nod as a reply. "Alright, I guess we'll just have to try again tomorrow," Lycian said getting up ready to wake up the sleeping girl.

Zero put his hand up to stop him. "Don't, she might attack you," he said and walked up to Hunter. He then grabbed her by the waist and heaved her up, throwing her over his shoulder. Her hands dangled in the air as she lay limply like a ragdoll.

Lycian looked at Zero confused. "Won't that wake her up?" he asked feeling skeptical.

"Nah," he replied looking over at Hunter. "I'll take her to her room," he added then headed for the door, leaving the confused werewolf in the library.

* * * * * *

"Auummm…" Hunter voiced before snorting with laughter. "S-sorry, I don't – think – I can do this," she said between laughs.

"Okay, don't do the 'aum' thing," Lycian instructed. It was already Saturday and the only progress Hunter made was being awake.

"Take a deep breath and let it out slowly, relax your body," he said.

Hunter did as he told her. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, relaxing her body.

"Clear your mind," the werewolf instructed. Silence enveloped them both, making the howling of the wind outside much louder than it really was.

"What do you hear?" Lycian asked her.

A loud and ferocious growl sounded in the library. "My stomach," she answered with a lopsided grin.

Lycian sighed, rubbing his temples tiredly. He thought this job was going to be a piece of cake, but no matter what he tries he just can't get her to do the things he wants her too.

Hunter scrambled up from the ground and jumped at Zero with a mischievous grin as she latched onto his arm. "Ze-ro!" she said in a playful singsong voice, letting him know it was time to feed her.

The vampire let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, let's go eat," he said defeated.

"Wait, let's go out to eat," Lycian said getting up from the ground.

Hunter cocked her head to the side and eyed him inquisitively.

"I'll treat you to lunch today, Hunter," Lycian said smoothly.

She looked to Zero then back to Lycian. Zero's steaks were really good, in her opinion, but she didn't really want to say no to Lycian. He was offering free food after all.

"It will give us a chance to get to know each other better and it might even help us figure out how to control your inner-self," the werewolf said persuasively.

Hunter did want to be in control of her "inner-self" as they all called it. _But the steak_…she thought biting her lower lip as she clung to Zero's arm, tightening her hold.

Lycian fought back a smirk. The "fearsome" demigod wolf inbred was timidly clinging onto a _vampire_. If she's to be a true wolf one day he was going to have to change that childish behavior of hers.

She looked up at Zero, searching his face for an answer. The usual impassive look on his face provided her no solutions but the thought of him did. If she learns how to control her inner-self then she won't be a burden to him anymore. "Alright, I'll go," she said after a few tense seconds.

The Benandanti nearly smirked and hooked his arm through hers. "I'll take it from here, I can handle it," he said with a tight smile to the vampire.

Zero's impassive demeanor didn't budge. "Be my guest," he said icily to the werewolf.

* * * * * *

"So, Hunter, how old are you?" Lycian asked as he smoothly cut through his steak.

"Sixteen or seventeen, not entirely sure," she replied. On her plate was also a steak – done extra rare just the way she liked it. Unfortunately it wasn't as good as the ones Zero always prepared for her. Hunter could immediately tell this wasn't prime beef and that it wasn't dry aged.* It was quite a disappointment to her taste buds.

"Wait, how come you don't know your age?" Lycian asked looking at her confused. Everyone knew how old they were.

Hunter shrugged. "I'm an orphan. They couldn't tell how old I was when I was dropped off at the orphanage…" she didn't look at him as she spoke.

"I'm sorry," he said trying to sound genuinely apologetic. The word "sorry" was always a standard reply to anything unfortunate.

Hunter moved her head a little acknowledging his words. "It's okay, living at the orphanage wasn't that bad," she said trying to suppress her worries over Michelle. Lycian didn't need to know about it since it was private matter.

"Anyway, tell me about yourself," Hunter said trying to change the topic. She didn't like talking about herself.

"Okay," he said chewing his food then swallowed. "My full name is Lycian Anthony Bernardino, I'm eighteen, I'm a pureblooded werewolf of the Benandanti bloodline and my father is the alpha male of our pack," he said confidently with little hints of pride glinting in his dark eyes.

Her brows furrowed a little. "That's nice," she said after a two-second pause, not knowing what else to say.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to take my dad's spot as the alpha one day too," he added, this time the pride was evident in both his tone and expression.

Hunter didn't really understand what there was to be proud of. The title was being handed to him on a silver plate and by the looks of it the guy never had to work for anything in his life. Judging by his demeanor, pureblooded werewolves were also treated special just like the pureblooded vampires. In her opinion – they were just full of themselves. A bloodline didn't make someone special – who they were did.

She flashed him a charming smile, "that must be nice."

He returned her smile with a prideful one. "You bet," he said. "So how pure are you?" he asked, referring to her wolf blood.

Hunter shrugged again. "Don't know, never knew my parents or that I was this wolf thing," she answered honestly.

"Well when did you transform first and how much?" he asked wondering if she took on full form or part of it.

"My first transformation was on the last full moon and all I grew was a tail. My eyes change color as well and I get fangs and claws. Didn't notice anything else," she replied feeling weird talking about her transformation.

"So you're saying you've never taken full form?" he asked evidently disappointed.

She shook her head no. It wasn't like she wanted to take full form either. A part of her hoped that she wouldn't be able to…ever.

"Ah, well it was your first so no wonder. When I first transformed at fifteen I only got hairy," he laughed. "Now I can assume full form and I'm almost as big as my father," he added with pride.

"I'm sure you'll be able to fully transform soon," he said.

"That's great," Hunter said with a tight smile, not knowing what was so appealing in being big and hairy.

Having lost her appetite she pushed her plate away. "I'm done," she said. Lycian nodded and finished his food. He then waved over the waiter and received the check. They paid up front and left the restaurant.

Hunter didn't say much as Lycian talked most of the time about his pack. He explained that the wolves in his pack grow up to be the size of Alaskan Malamutes – and sometimes even bigger. His father, being the alpha male, is the biggest and strongest wolf in the pack. Because he's almost as big as his father and just as strong it's only natural that the leadership would one day be handed over to him.

The werewolves were also similar to actual wolves. Born weres had full control over when they turned and while they were in their form. Those who were turned were very much weak mindless beasts.

"The purer the blood the stronger the wolf," he told her.

In an odd way a lot of this information sounded like the things she heard about the vampires at Cross Academy. By now she also figured out that the most pure her blood could possibly be is 50% - if it was even that much. That was also only if she assumed that her father was Hati – Hati Hróðvitnisson to be exact. She read about her supposed lineage in the books Chairman Cross provided her with in order to help her understand where she came from. Hróðvitnisson is the Icelandic "last name" that was given to Hati to identify him as Fenrir's son. It literally translates as "Fenrir's son" or that's what it's supposed to mean.

So if the demigod wolf Hati was really her father then her last name would be Hróðvitnisson as well. That's quite a mouthful. _Hunter Hróðvitnisson,_ she said mentally finding that it sounded weird.

Another possibility was that she wasn't a direct descendant of Hati. That would make her blood only 25% pure as well if she were to have had a human mother and a half-breed father. Or maybe she was one of those far removed relatives with only 5% of the blood? Worst case scenario for her would be if she were 75% pure – directly descended from Hati and a half-breed mother.

"What's your favorite color?" Lycian suddenly asked her, making her realize that she was zoned out the entire time and did not hear a single thing he said.

"Huh?" she asked confused.

Lycian pointed at the array of roses. "What's your favorite color?" he asked again with a small smile.

"Black?" she replied unsure if that even was her favorite color.

"Sorry, they don't have black roses," he said with a small laugh then ordered a dozen of red ones. He paid the merchant and handed the flowers to her.

"Here, they're for you," he said.

"What for?" she asked confused. No one ever bought her flowers, why would he now?

"Just because, and I think red suits you best," he said charmingly.

Feeling awkward she took the flowers and thanked him. There's a first time for everything, right?

The two wolves walked as Lycian did most of the talking. Hunter didn't pay attention to a single word he said. The strong smell of the roses was giving her a headache and she wanted to head back to the academy to coax Zero into making her dinner. She thought of bargaining with the vampire. He would make her dinner, her favorite of course, and he would have a day off tomorrow as she would go bother the other vampires. The other vampires being Kain and Hanabusa. She wanted to see them anyway. Aido was always fun to tease. She liked how he got scared whenever she talked about eating him.

When Hunter looked up and returned to the real world she noticed that they were in some desolate area of a park. _Where are we?_ She wondered as she looked around.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Lycian asked as they came up to a manmade pond. Geese and ducks swam on the lustrous surface sending ripples through the water. Weeping willows hung mournfully over the edges of the pond, their long branches grazing the water as the breeze swayed them. It was a pretty sight indeed.

"But not as beautiful as you," Lycian added looking at her. Hunter looked up at him with a quizzical expression on her face letting him now she was puzzled.

"Ah, sorry," he said "That came out wrong," he added as he scratched the back of his head.

A rustle in the branches of a nearby tree caught Hunter's attention. "What's wrong?" Lycian asked wondering why her head suddenly snapped towards a tree. Hunter shushed him.

The noise came again. "Hunter…it's probably just a squirrel," he said not knowing what was going on.

Hunter lifted her hand to silence him once more. She crept up to the bottom of the tree and surveyed the thick branches. Most of the leaves have fallen off already but there were enough left to hide whatever was up in that tree. Sniffing the air she found the scent familiar.

Before she could recall what the scent meant a Level-E jumped down on her. They both fell to the ground with a dull thud and the crazed vampire viciously bit into her arm as she shielded her face and neck.

"Hunter!" Lycian yelled as he started running towards her. He grabbed onto the Level-E to rip it off her but the vampire shoved him away, making him skid across the grass and almost into the pond. Using the distraction, Hunter kicked the vampire off her. Before it could lunge at her again, Lycian was already on his feet with his hands transformed into claws.

The werewolf growled as he grabbed onto the vampire, his powerful claws mercilessly digging into the blood frenzied being. The vampire kicked him away once more making him fall to the ground. The Level-E then lunged at him with its fangs drawn. In the blink of an eye Lycian was on his feet once more, his clawed hand holding the vampire by its bottom jaw. It growled and thrashed as its fangs scraped his knuckles. Lycian tightened his hold and ripped the Level-E's jaw off with one rough pull. The vampire shrieked in agony as it fell down to its knees. "Try to bite me now you bastard," the werewolf growled as he threw the vampire's mandible aside.

He then pulled out a hunting knife from one of his boots and stabbed the vampire in the head, driving the blade through its skull, making it disintegrate into nothing but sand.

Lycian wiped the knife on his pants and shoved it back into his boot. "Hunter, you okay?" he asked walking towards her, retracting his claws. He stopped a few feet from her when he saw her eyes swirling silver and her claws drawn.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said shakily while crouching as the skin on her arm reattached. "Zero's going to be mad that I got hurt," she said with a small laugh.

Lycian inspected her arm noticing that there wasn't even a scar. All that was left was a torn blood stained sleeve. He was amazed, no one in his pack had the ability to heal this fast – not even his father. "Forget Zero, I'm just glad you're okay," he said hiding his own bloodied hand.

* * * * * * *

"Do I need to dress you from head to toe in anti-vampire charms or something?" Zero asked angrily as he pulled off her blood stained shirt and tossed it into a trash bin. He then took a wet cloth and began washing the blood off her skin. She didn't ask for this service but as soon as he saw her all bloodied he just took charge.

"I'm not wounded you know," she said childishly with feigned irritation. "But you were," he replied harshly. "Can you ever leave this place and not get into trouble?" he asked as he rinsed the washcloth. "It's like you purposefully look for vampires to attack you," he added while cleaning off the rest of the blood.

Hunter didn't say anything as she stood there in a skirt and a bra. When Zero finished cleaning her, he dried her arm and for the first time noticed that she was only in bra. Suddenly he felt awkward and looked away. "Listen, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get attacked," Hunter said quietly as she rubbed her shoulder.

He shed his jacket and threw it at her. "Forget it, just go to your room," he said then walked out of the bathroom.

Hunter slid his jacket on, pulling it tight around her. She inhaled deeply. _Hey, Zero, did anyone ever tell you how good you smell?_ She asked mentally as she watched his retreating figure.

When she returned to her room she curled up in her bed still wearing Zero's jacket. With the lights out and the room empty she suddenly felt lonely. Not only that, she also felt like a burden to Zero now more than before. Having to be the school's prefect was already plenty of responsibility for him and she was only adding more pressure and stress to his life. She had to gain control of her inner beast. There was no other way.

* * *

* Dry aged beef is supposed to be the best way to prepare beef. Freshly slaughtered beef is supposedly hard so it's aged before cut up and packaged. Anyway, even though dry aging is the best way to go about beef most manufacturers (slaughter houses in other words) don't do that, instead they "wet age" it and call it good because dry aging is expensive and takes time. Hope that helps.


	18. What You Are

**Note: Short chapter but I wanted this out for V-day. There's a tiny special at the end. **

**Once again thanks to all those who review. Many people don't think of this but reviewing does make the story better. **

**aRLegOdDesS - yes Hunter does like Zero she's just too thick headed to realize it. **

**DarkValkyrie89 - I didn't think I could pull off werewolves in VK either but I decided to give it a shot. If you have a lot of ideas in your head I suggest just scribbling them down somewhere - you never know if they'll come in handy later in the future. A little advice for your first story - research it well, especially if you're going to use an OC. My first story here When Worlds Collide in my opinion was a disaster. I still have to fix it. The concept was good but I totally messed up on the delivery.**

**When I first thought of H&SC there were only 3 VK stories on FanFiction. I spend months thinking of what I wanted to do with that idea. This is the result.**

**Most people don't know this but I do ridiculous amounts of research daily (for stories, ideas, and just random knowledge) and have at least 30 stories on my computer, 90% of which will never be seen. I'm a nutcase, aren't I?**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-18: What You Are-**

"_Well, they don't see me all that well,_

_As far as I can tell,_

_They're just blinded by their own beliefs,_

_About me,_

_Couldn't even stop and think awhile,_

_Whoa, that you just might be wrong…"_

Bleak - What You Are

**Wolf:** a large carnivore related to the jackal and domestic dog. Wolves are known for their keen intelligence, skilled hunting and highly organized social structure. (…) Wolves have strong jaws, powerful legs, and bushy tails. Wolves communicate with visual signals, scent, and sound. They also exhibit behavioral patterns that show dominance over or submission to one another. Body language makes it clear which animal has higher rank. Tail position and bared teeth convey various moods and attitudes, including submission, fear, and a readiness to attack.

"Wolf," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2008

* * * * * * *

_Not as beautiful as you_, the words rang in Lycian's mind. "Stupid!" he scolded himself as he raked a hand through his dark curly hair. He still felt embarrassed and stupid for having had said something so ridiculous. _How un-cool,_ he thought pacing his room. Hunter was one of the most beautiful werewolves he's ever seen. To have a female this beautiful in his pack would truly be an accomplishment. To have her at his side would make him an alpha instantly.

Lycian figured her beauty was derived from her demigod blood. But how pure was she? Was she capable of fully transforming?

He had to assume that Hunter was at least a 50% hybrid since she was able to partially transform. Half human, half werewolf. No, she wasn't just a werewolf. She was a wolf – the true beast.

In comparison to Hunter, he was far more human than wolf even though he was a pureblood. Werewolves of his kind don't have to live in packs and they don't need the social hierarchy of a wolf pack. His kind simply picked up the habit from the wolves. It was probably what has kept them alive through all these centuries too. They were only humans who were able to assume the shape of a wolf after all.

Hunter on the other hand was a wolf in the shape of a human. He saw the mark on her neck that identified her as an offspring of Hati's blood. The intricately weaved tribal design centered around the moon. Hati had a twin brother though, didn't he? The white wolf that chases the sun named Skoll. _I wonder if there's a Skoll wolf_, he mused.

Lycian walked up to his window and looked out at the starry night sky. His eyes lingered on the waxing moon, his inner self wanting nothing more but to howl. He wanted to sing the song that united his pack. But this wasn't his territory and there were no known wolves in the area. Not shape shifters but the real thing. If he was to howl and there was an actual pack in the area he might endanger them. Humans always foolishly feared the wolves.

Looking away from the moon he saw two figures below. Taking a better look he realized it was Zero and Hunter. They looked like something off the movie screen illuminated by the silver light of the moon. Hunter looked as beautiful as always and unnervingly Zero looked like he belonged at her side. _Yeah, they look good together,_ he thought watching them.

Hunter was jumping around the vampire playfully almost as if dancing. She looked happy, like a young wolf wanting to play.

_She's a wolf alright,_ he thought. What a wolf was doing with a vampire was beyond him though. In all her mannerisms Hunter displayed wolf behavior. The way she expressed playfulness and her submissiveness to the vampire were the prime examples. Even her diet was meat based. But what did Zero have or do to make her view him as an alpha?

With a sigh he looked away and lay down on his bed. Training Hunter was going to be the most challenging thing he's ever done in his life.

* * * * * * *

Hunter stretched yawning like a dog. She scratched herself behind the ear and wagged her tail. "Wait – "she turned around and eyed the thick bushy black tail. "Oh hell no…" she whined smacking her face back into the pillow with her butt up in the air. "Why…why me?" she whined into the pillow.

She pulled the covers back over her body and snuggled up. There was no way she was getting out of bed today or even leaving her room. If she had to pee she was going to pee in a bottle – she didn't care. There was no way she could possibly be seen at the moment.

The door to her room opened and Zero walked in. "Morning," he said duly as he adjusted his tie. When he saw her still in bed he looked at her a little perplexed. "Why aren't you up? We have school today," he said expressionlessly thinking she was just being lazy.

"I'm not going," she said defiantly as she hid under her covers.

An angry tick appeared on his face. _That little runt_…he growled mentally as his eyes narrowed into a glare. He walked up to her bed. "Get up," he ordered ripping the covers off of her.

Hunter yelped when the covers came off of her and huddled into the upper corner of the bed, wrapping her tail around her legs.

"What's wrong with you?" Zero asked with annoyance. He looked over at her and froze.

There it was – the long bushy black tail in all its glory. He then looked at Hunter and noticed she was frowning. "You don't like being a werewolf, do you?" he asked.

Of course she didn't. She was raised as a human after all - would have never even conceived of being anything other than a human. She lived all her life in blind happiness completely ignorant of the things around her until that one night. The one night that changed her life. Everything she believed in was destroyed within seconds. Hunter snorted. "Do you like being a vampire?" she retorted bitterly looking away from him.

The rhetorical question struck something deep inside him. "I'll notify the Chairman," he said and turned on his heel, walking out of her room.

* * * * * * *

_Do you like being a vampire?_ The question haunted him as he made his way to the Chairman's office. It struck some chords deep within him in a way he couldn't describe. Did he like being a vampire? Like hell he did.

He was from the Kiriyuu family – the vampire hunter family. Now he was what he hunted – oh the sick irony of it. Usually the hunted turned on the hunter, switching their roles. The hunter becoming what he hunts is a whole different story. It was like being what you eat.

His knuckles rapped on the wooden door before he walked in. Chairman Cross was talking to Yuuki and the two stopped their conversation when he walked in. "Zero…" Yuuki said in her usual slightly surprised way.

"What is it, Kiriyuu-kun?" Cross asked from his desk, shifting uncomfortably as if preparing for some bad news. Like "your dog got run over by a car and he's dead," type of bad news. He stopped in front of the man's desk with his hands shoved into his pockets. It would have been a lie if he said he wasn't enjoying the scene before him.

Zero wondered how he should phrase what he was going to say next. Hunter's tail appeared? Hunter went wolf? Transformed? Her full moon side effects appeared? Gone hairy? Was there even a right way to phrase something like that?

"Hunter…it's that time of the month," he finally said.

Kaien's brows furrowed in confusion, for a brief moment he had no idea what the teen was talking about. When things clicked in his mind he went "ooh" in understanding and sighed.

"Wait, you shouldn't be talking about something like this! It's a girl thing!" Yuuki interjected without knowing what they were really talking about.

"What are you talking about?" Zero asked looking at her puzzled.

"Well aren't you talking about _that_ time of the month?" Yuuki asked feeling more confused than ever.

Zero choked on thin air. _That_? Hunter's _period_? Why on earth would he be talking about something like that?

Chairman Cross laughed. "No, no, we're not talking about _that_, we're talking about what she is, the first night of the full moon was last night, she changed," he explained. "Zero-kun, did you tell Lycian-san about it?" he asked looking at Zero.

"Not yet," the vampire replied.

Yuuki eyed them confused. "Wait, what do you mean she changed?" she asked.

"Her wolf side came out," Cross said not knowing how to exactly phrase what was happening either.

"Ohh…" she replied feeling a little awkward that she initially thought they were talking about something else – something more _feminine_.

Cross sighed. "We need to tell Lycian-san, I'll leave that to you Zero-kun," he stopped and looked over at Yuuki. "Tell the teachers that Hunter-chan is sick and won't be attending classes today," he said to her.

The next three days were going to be a challenge.

* * * * * * *

Hunter wagged her tail. It felt so natural. This was only the second time she changed and it already felt normal. The thought of it scared her. Whenever the full moon was out she felt giddy and excited like a little child who had too much sugar.

"Please…pay attention Hunter," Lycian said exasperated. He was just as excited as she was because it was a full moon but it was called self control. Hunter was acting like a kid with major A.D.D. at the moment.

She laughed. "I can't help it," she said wagging her tail.

"We're not going to accomplish anything at this rate though," the werewolf argued.

Hunter ignored him and opened the window taking in a deep breath of crisp night air. "Ah, this is nice," she said hanging out the window, her tail swishing from side to side. She leaned out further and lost her balance.

Zero caught her before she fell out the window. "If you're going to try killing yourself don't do it when I'm around," he growled and picked her up by the back of her shirt like a puppy that just peed on the floor. "Sit," he said dropping her on the ground in front of Lycian. Hunter looked at him with big eyes ready to move again. "Sit – don't you dare move," he ordered sternly.

Hunter released a dog-like whine. "Pay attention," the vampire ordered once more earning himself another whine. "Pay attention or no steak," he added threateningly.

The wolf perked up hearing the word "steak" but grumbled when she put the word "no" in front of it. No steak? That's torture. "Vicious," she said playfully.

"What? You really don't want steak anymore?" Zero challenged.

"Why don't you pull that stick out of your ass?" she retorted.

His eyes narrowed down into a glare. "What did you say?" he asked in a daring tone.

Hunter cowered and sat down. "Nothing," she said.

Lycian watched the exchange amused. There was something between them. He couldn't really put his finger on it but whatever it was, it was something special. But that wasn't going to stop him from being attracted to the girl.

"Okay, Hunter I need you to focus," he said looking at her.

She cocked her head to the side and started back at him with a blank expression.

"Think about your tail and will it away," Lycian said but noticed she wasn't paying attention.

Hunter was off trying to sneak away from them. An angry tick worked its way onto Zero's jaw line. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked through clenched teeth as he grabbed onto her shirt.

"Nowhere?" she looked at him innocently with a small grin.

The vampire pulled his tie loose and used it to tie her arms behind her back. He then sat her back down on the floor in front of the Benandanti and initiated the command "stop" on the binds that were kindly provided by the Chairman some time ago. "Now you'll stay put," he whispered into her ear before taking a step back.

"So what do you want me to do again?" she asked with childish irritation.

Lycian smirked. "Just think about your tail. Will it away," he said plainly.

Simple enough, right?

Hunter thought about her tail. That soft bushy black tail of hers. She wagged it, making it thunk against the floor and brush against Zero's legs. Yes, she's thinking about her tail – now she needs to think it away. _Think, think, think, tail here, tail gone_…she thought wagging it. Not getting any results she frowned. This was going to take some time…

* * * * * * *

**Valentine's Day Extra**

_(Has nothing to do with the original plot)_

"Bonjour Monsieur Zero," Hunter purred as she walked up to the vampire.

Zero looked up at her perplexed. What was she up to now?

She snaked her tail upwards and gently caressed his neck and chin with the tip. "Mon chéri, vous est mon amour et je ne pense qu'à toi… "She said seductively leaning in closer using her tail to bind them.

Once again he looked at her clueless. He had no idea what she was saying but judging by her actions she wanted something. What that something was he had yet to figure out.

"Vous m'aimez aussi, qui?" Hunter asked as she stood up on her tippy toes, flattening her chest against his. She gently brushed his bangs from his eyes. "Je t'aime de tout mon cœur…" she whispered softly looking deeply into his eyes.

Zero gulped as he felt her chest pressing against his with her breath softly brushing against his lips. "Si vous m'aimez aussi vous feriez cuire ce steak pour moi…" she whispered with her lips so close to his that he was tempted to kiss her.

He couldn't take it anymore. Not with her so close pressing against him. His heart was beating a million beats per second. He wanted to give in and kiss her but that would betray his love for Yuuki.

"I'll go make you a steak…" he said hoarsely as he gently pushed her away thinking he found the best escape from the wolf.

Hunter looked after him with feigned disappointement as she tried to hide her grin of success.

Ten minutes later Hunter was happily wagging her tail as she walked out of the kitchen. "Merci beaucoup," she said with a mouth full of food. "Vous est l'amour de ma vie!" she added yelling from the hallway.

Sometimes a little sweet talking paid off…

* * * * * * *

**Note: I never created Hunter as a bilingual character but since French is said to be the language of love I decided to use my French skills and type this up. If any of you speak French and I got this wrong - I apologize. **

**Translation:**

**Bonjour Monsieur Zero** Hello Mr. Zero

**Mon chéri, vous est mon amour et je ne pense qu'à toi…=** My darling, you're my love and I only think of you…

**Vous m'aimez aussi, qui? =** You love me too, yes?

**Je t'aime de tout mon cœur =** I love you with all my heart.

**Si vous m'aimez aussi vous feriez cuire ce steak pour moi… =** If you love me too you would cook that steak for me…

**Merci beaucoup =** thanks a lot

**Vous est l'amour de ma vie =** you're the love of my life


	19. Night Out

**Note: Sorry for the ridiculously long wait. I was having some major A.D.D. problems writing this chapter. It's not even that long either. **

**Anyway, there's a lot I want to do with this story and there's a lot of things I have in store for the characters but in order to get to those things I need to write chapters like these that kind of serve as a bridge to the next "key event" for the lack of better wording. **

**I also skipped through most of Hunter's training. After a while it just gets too repetitive and repetitive means boring. At least in my opinion. **

**Thanks to all those who reviewed. I really appreciate it. **

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**P.S. I'll try to update sooner.**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-19: Night Out-**

"_If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space."_

-Anonymous

All the leaves have fallen save for a few here and there that clung to the branches with everything they had left. Fresh snow covered the frozen earth almost like a white blanket trying to warm it Seasons have finally changed and the slow transition was over. The world would now be nothing more but a barren wasteland of white until spring.

Hunter pounced on the snow, marring its seemingly perfect form. Her tail swished from side to side like the one of a puppy seeing the snow for the first time.

"Get off the ground, you're going to catch a cold," Zero grumbled feeling like a parent.

The wolf rolled around in the snow laughing. "But it's fun!" she said from the ground with a smile. She then made a snowball and threw it at his head.

The vampire growled irritated. "Why you – "he threatened brushing the snow out of his hair.

"Oh c'mon, quit acting like an old man, she's just a pup," Lycian said as he walked past him to join Hunter.

_Tch,_ he thought glaring after the werewolf. Who's an old man here? There isn't that big of an age difference between them to begin with and if he recalled correctly, Lycian was older than him.

Zero watched the two wolves chase each other playfully through the fresh snow. Hunter had gained control over her tail but it wasn't perfect. Sometimes she still had trouble hiding it during a full moon, but otherwise everything was fine. The furry part of her still appeared when she was excited like a kid jacked up on Mountain Dew and it was during those times she had a hard time making it go away. This was one of those times.

Lycian threw a snowball at Hunter, hitting her squarely in the back of her head. "I'll get you for this!" she yelled waving her fist in the air in mock anger. The werewolf stuck his tongue out at her and took off running.

"Hey kid," said a voice. Zero turned around to face Yagari-sensei. The vampire hunter walked up to him and watched the two wolves briefly in silence as he smoked his cigarette.

"What did you come here for?" Zero asked suspiciously, eyeing the older man with his peripheral vision.

The vampire hunter shrugged. "Just checking things out, making sure everything is okay," Yagari said with the cigarette in his mouth.

"As if," Zero retorted not buying the man's words.

"You know neither the council nor the association know of these two," Yagari said as he exhaled smoke from his lungs.

The vampire eyed the wolves briefly. "Why do I still have to babysit that girl? She can control herself now and there's another werewolf around that could do a much better job watching her than me," he said as his eyes lingered on the girl.

Yagari scoffed. "Because there's a lot you can learn from her," he said before taking a long drag of his cigarette.

Zero turned to face him. "Oh yeah, because there's really a lot I can learn from that flea ridden run–_ooff_!" he didn't finish the sentence as Hunter tackled him full throttle, sending them both tumbling in the snow. He glared up at her as she laughed on top of him. Her cold bitten cheeks were flushed and he could see her breath in the winter air. He found himself mesmerized by her light and carefree laugh. Gazing into the cerulean depths of her eyes he felt as if he could drown.

Hunter suddenly looked up. "Kain! Aido!" she yelled jumping off Zero and took off running towards them.

Yagari smirked when he saw Zero's face. "Youngsters these days…" he muttered slightly amused.

"What?" Zero asked getting off the ground.

"Nothing," the man replied inhaling smoke.

"Yagari-sensei," Kain said cautiously as he walked up to them with Hunter on his back. Lycian joined them as well.

"What a nice surprise," Yagari said in a tone that could have either meant he was genuinely surprised or sarcastic. They stood in a tense silence staring at each other.

Hunter jumped off Kain's back and walked up to the vampire hunter. She circled him as if she was sizing him up then jumped on him licking his cheek.

"What the?" the man asked in utter confusion.

"Bleh, bad lungs," Hunter said cringing as she jumped off of him, leaving him even more confused and disturbed. She then proceeded to go around and settled on Aido. She licked his cheek and cringed once more. "Too sweet," she said before turning to lick Kain's neck. "Mmm, tasty," she mused.

"Ah, what do you mean I'm too sweet? Isn't that a good thing?" Aido asked slightly offended that Kain tasted better than him. A slight blush graced his cheeks as this was an unusual action that normally meant something else.

Zero grabbed her by the back of her jacket. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked holding her in the air.

"She's tasting. They say that animals, especially of canine species can tell whether you have a bad liver just by licking you," Lycian explained, unfazed by Hunter's odd behavior.

The vampire eyed the wolf suspiciously and then dropped her. She then pounced on him and gave him a big lick from the nape of his neck, over his earlobe and then his cheek. "Ooh," she said licking him again.

"Gah, stop it! Don't slobber all over me," Zero cringed ripping her off of him.

"But you taste good," she said in a childish voice.

"That doesn't mean you can lick me," he said like a parent patronizing a child for doing something bad. The other three laughed.

Hunter whined like a scolded puppy. "You know, Yagari-sensei…you and Hunter kind of look alike…" Aido said thoughtfully as he eyed the two. They both had blue eyes and black hair, except Hunter's was jet black like the feathers of a crow. Their hairstyles were also messy and unkempt, but the wolf's hair was straighter. There was a big difference in their height, but overall Hunter could pass off as Yagari's child.

The vampires and the werewolf eyed the man and the girl with scrutinizing eyes. "Now that you mention it…they do look alike," Kain said confirming his friend's thoughts.

"Yeah," Lycian said agreeing with the vampires.

Aido smirked. "Could Hunter be an illegitimate child of yours, Yagari-_sensei_?" he asked smugly emphasizing the word sensei. Everyone's eyes suddenly focused in on the vampire hunter demanding an answer.

"She's a werewolf, it's impossible," Yagari said adjusting his hat.

"No, it's possible," Lycian said. "Hunter isn't a pureblood. You could have gone off frolicking with a half demigod beauty without even knowing what she is…"

The vampire hunter felt uncomfortable under their demanding gazes. He looked down on Hunter. True, she did have blue eyes like he did but hers were lighter. She did have black hair but it was darker and her skin was paler than his. She couldn't be his "illegitimate" child. It wasn't as if he was the one to go off and have random one-night stands either. Or was he? "Nope, not possible," he said. "Now instead of thinking about crazy things I suggest you all go and study. I'm giving you guys a pop quiz tomorrow," he said and walked off. _Kids these days_…he thought lighting another cigarette.

* * * * * * *

Hunter whacked Aido with a snowball and laughed. "Hey!" he yelled with mock anger as he formed a snowball to retaliate.

"Bleh!" the wolf stuck her tongue out childishly. Hunter took off running, in her hands a snowball. She skidded to a halt behind Lycian and called out his name. The werewolf turned around only to get a mouthful of snow and more snow in his hair as both Kain and Hunter attacked him simultaneously.

"Haha!" Hunter laughed but then suddenly Aido threw a snowball right in her face – hard.

Hunter froze then covered her face as she sunk down into the snow. "Hunter?" Aido asked tentatively thinking he threw the snowball a little too hard. "Are you okay?" he asked walking up to her. Not hearing any response he knelt down next to the girl.

In a split second Hunter grabbed him by the back of his head and shoved his face in the snow. "Gotcha!" she laughed.

"C'mon Kiriyuu, join the fun!" Kain yelled over to Zero with a grin on his face. Everyone was participating in the snowball fight but the prefect.

"No thanks, I'll pass," he replied. After getting a taste of Hunter and snow he figured it'd be best to stand far away from them.

"Quit acting like an old man!" Lycian yelled as he threw a snowball at the tree that Zero was standing by. His snowball hit a branch that was already bending from the weight of all the snow on it, making it give out and dump its load on Zero.

The vampire stood dead still with snow covering most of him. "I'll get you for this!" he suddenly yelled shaking his fist angrily.

"Watch out! It's Zero the Angry Snowman!" Lycian laughed before he took off running from the angry prefect. The others laughed as Zero pounded the werewolf with snowballs.

Kain walked up behind Hunter and wrapped his arms around her. "Hn?" she looked up at him quizzically.

"Hey, want to go on a little adventure tonight?" he whispered mischievously into her ear.

Hunter looked up at him studying his expression as she thought over his words. Adventure? She liked adventures. "Of course," she grinned.

"Meet me behind the stables at midnight, make sure no one sees you," he said and let her go, acting as if nothing happened. They exchanged looks and he put his index finger up to his lips telling her to keep quiet about their plans.

"Mercy please!" Lycian yelled tripping over his own feet with the vampire hot on his heels.

"Don't kill him!" Hunter said with a grin as she jumped on Zero's back. Both men were breathing heavily from running through the snow. "I'm hungry," she declared, letting the vampire know it was time to feed her.

Zero threw the last snowball at Lycian and surrendered to Hunter's demand. The girl remained on his back as they walked away. She flashed them a peace sign and grinned victoriously for she had conquered Zero the Angry Snowman.

* * * * * * *

Minutes to midnight, Hunter cautiously peeked out into the hallway. Zero had left her alone some hours ago thinking she was asleep. Since his room was next to hers she couldn't escape through the window. Instead she tiptoed down the hallway and couple staircases and turns later she was out the back door.

Like the night creature she was, she snuck through the grounds avoiding pools of light from the lamps that were scattered throughout the grounds. Excitement coursed through her veins from the mere feeling of going on an adventure. Sneaking out in itself was an adventure to her because she had to be cautious and avoid getting caught. Especially by Zero. It was one thing to get caught by Yuuki, for the girl was far much nicer than her companion. If Chairman Cross caught her then he would most likely just give her a lecture on how dangerous it is to be out past the curfew. But if Zero caught her – he'd probably deprive her of the delicious premium beef steak. Hunter shuddered at the thought.

"Hey," she greeted the vampire as she ran up to him behind the stables.

Kain greeted her in return with a smile, his eyes softening when they met hers. He always thought that Kiriyuu was an idiot for not appreciating the fact that he gets to see Hunter daily. The guy was too thickheaded to realize that he liked the girl and too wrapped up in his unrequited love for Yuuki. Unfortunately he was guilty of unrequited love himself.

As much as he loved Ruka all his life he knew nothing would ever happen between them. She loved Kaname too much to even notice his feelings for her. Ironically Kiriyuu's romantic interest was also in love with Kaname. It made the pureblood look like a womanizer. But with his tormented past and lonely yet powerful aura it was no wonder women were attracted to him like moths to a flame.

At least he didn't have to worry about being killed by Kaname if he were to make Ruka his. If Zero stole Yuuki's heart at breakfast he would be dust before lunch.

"So how come Aido isn't with us?" Hunter asked looking around, noticing that the blonde wasn't present.

"Tonight it's just us," he said. "I snuck out too," he added mischievously.

"Ooh, must be some adventure," she teased with a grin. "So what are we doing?" she asked.

"First, we walk," he said not giving her any clues as to what he was really up to.

They walked through the grounds, passing by the Day Class dorms and further into one of the wooded areas of the academy. Soon they reached the high wall that served as the fence of the academy.

"What now?" Hunter questioned eyeing the wall.

"Now we make our second escape," Kain replied calmly, as if jumping over a twenty-foot wall was easy.

"Here, I'll give you a lift," he said and bent down, lacing his fingers together for her to place her foot on.

Hunter did as he told her to and placed her foot on his hands, steadying herself by holding on to his shoulders. Kain heaved her up higher than she expected but it still wasn't enough to throw her over the wall. She extracted her claws and dug them into the cracks between the bricks.

"You okay?" the vampire asked from the ground. He could see up her skirt and could tell she was wearing red panties. _Nice,_ he thought for an instant before feeling guilty. Maybe he should have told her to wear pants? But then he'd miss out on the view. That's a tough one.

"Yeah!" she replied as she unhooked one claw and extended her arm to catch the edge of the wall. She pulled herself up onto the structure and turned around.

In the blink of an eye Akatsuki jumped up onto the wall with ease. "Well that's unfair," she grumbled sarcastically.

He flashed her a smile and motioned towards the ground on the other side before jumping down. "Do you want me to catch you?" he asked playfully.

Hunter shook her head and jumped down with ease. "Nope," she said with a sarcastic grin. "So where to now?" she asked.

Kain looked at her. The cold wind bit at her cheeks stinging them red and her breath puffed like smoke in the winter air. She looked like any other pretty girl rather than the animal that loomed within her.

"Follow me," he said mysteriously.

They walked through the dark woods for some time before they came upon a clearing. An abandoned two story house stood in the middle of it. "Let's go inside," Kain said like a little boy getting ready to do something bad.

Hunter laughed. "I didn't know you could be such a badass Kain. I thought that was Hanabusa's thing," she said playfully punching him in the arm.

He shrugged with a smile. A glint of amusement danced in his eyes. "I have my moments," he said.

"So how'd you find this place?" Hunter asked.

"Hanabusa and I were hunting down a Level-E nearby and I saw this house in the distance. Figured it'd be interesting to explore," he replied.

"Why didn't you go in with Aido?" she asked not really getting why he didn't just go in with Aido the day he saw it.

Kain shrugged. "Thought it'd be more fun with you since he always gets us into trouble," he said.

They walked up to the old wooden house, the stairs of the front porch creaking underneath their feet, telling them of their age. "Damn, it's locked," Hunter said as she tried to turn the rusted doorknob.

"Did you expect it to be open?" Kain teased as he crouched down and used one of the pins off his uniform to pick the old lock. After hearing a small click of success, he looked up at her with a victorious smile. The door's rusted hinges protested as he pushed it open.

"I didn't expect you to be good at breaking and entering either," Hunter said as she walked in beside him.

He looked over at her and smirked. "There's a lot you don't know about me," he said.

"Figured as much," she replied.

The house was dark and musty. Years of dust covered just about everything inside and the only source of light was provided by the moon outside. They were standing in the living room. Ahead of them was an archway that lead to what looked like a kitchen and stairs that lead to the second floor. The kitchen had a joint dining room and off to the left was door to probably a pantry or the basement.

"Let's check out the upstairs first," Kain suggested thinking it would be best to start from the top and work their way down.

Hunter gave him a small nod and they headed up the creaky old stairs. Halfway up, one of the stairs gave out making the girl's foot go through. "Ah!" she squeaked as she held on to the remaining stairs with her claws while her leg dangled in the darkness under the stairs.

"Here, take my hand," Kain said extending his arm to her. Hunter retracted her claws in one hand and grabbed onto his. The vampire pulled her up with ease. "Are you okay?" he asked holding her close.

"Yeah, that was scary," she said as memories of her recurring nightmare played before her eyes.

"Hold my hand, I don't want you falling through the floor," he said taking her hand before leading them upstairs.

On the second floor were three bedrooms with antique style furniture, though most of it was badly damaged. Kain opened another door to reveal a bathroom as badly damaged as the rest. Hunter cringed at the sight of dead cockroaches in the tub.

Not finding anything else of interest, they went back down the stairs, avoiding the hole that Hunter's leg made. They walked into the kitchen.

Hunter let go of Kain's hand and walked up to the sink. There were hundred year old blood stains on the sink. By the smell of it she could tell it was human. "There's human blood here," she said.

"How can you tell? It's so old…" he said walking up behind her.

She didn't listen to him as she went off after the trail of blood.

"Hey, don't wander off to far," Kain called out after her.

Hunter ignored his call so he ran after her. "Hunter!" he called out again as he caught her arm.

She spun around to face him but the floor suddenly caved in under their weight, sending them both crashing through the floor. Images of her nightmare once again flashing before her eyes before everything went dark.

Moments later, Hunter felt pressure on top of her. She opened her eyes only to find darkness. There was something warm on her face. Recalling what happened she squirmed under whatever was atop of her as panic began to flood her. It was just like in her dream but without the heat and fire.

Kain groaned stirring. So it was him on top? "You okay?" he asked hoarsely, lifting himself halfway, making some of the rubble slide off his back in the process. His eyes were glowing crimson.

Was she okay? Physically, maybe. Emotionally? Like hell. She just relived half of her nightmare twice in the same night. "Yeah," she replied. One day she would be okay.

"Good," he said breathing a sigh of relief, closing his eyes as he lowered his head.

"Are you okay?" she asked tentatively. After all he protected her from the debris.

"Mhm," he voiced feeling glad that she was okay. Maybe it was a bad idea bringing her to this house.

Hunter could feel his breathing as his face hovered above hers. A piece of floorboard creaked above them and came crashing down, hitting Kain in the back of his head. The impact forced his head downwards, making his lips collide with hers. For a brief second time froze.

"Ow, that hurt," he said pulling away from her, acting as if nothing happened. This was awkward. It wasn't as if this was a real kiss, just an accident.

Hunter snorted and shook trying to stifle a laugh. "What's wrong?" he asked looking down at her with concern, thinking he hurt her or something. Or maybe she felt violated and was ready to cry.

She burst out laughing. "S-sorry," she coughed out between laughs. "I-it's just funny how you thought everything was okay and you relaxed and then you got hit in the head…" she explained, forgetting about her nightmares.

"Oh, is that so?" he asked looking at her peeved though in reality he was glad his prior thoughts were wrong.

Hunter shook her head yes and that's when he noticed blood at the corner of her bottom lip. "Don't move," he said. "My fang cut you, sorry," he added tenderly wiping the red liquid off her lip.

The way she looked at him made him feel as if she was chiding him for his actions. "I'm not made of glass, you know," she said with a small grin. "C'mon, let's explore now that we're here," she added gently pushing him off.

With Kain off her she could see the basement better. A small amount of moonlight spilled in through the hole they made. For a normal human it wouldn't be enough to see in the darkness, but for them it was more than enough. In the far corner of the small basement there were bookshelves lining the walls and an antique desk.

Hunter walked over to the desk carefully, trying not to trip on the debris. When she reached the desk she examined the contents on its surface: an old style fountain pen, blank sheets of paper, and a drinking glass.

Not finding the items interesting, she rummaged through the drawers. Opening the first one she found a leather bound notebook of some sort. "Hey, check this out," she said with her eyes glued to the volume.

"What is it?" Kain asked walking up to her after surveying the vast collection of books.

She opened the dusty notebook, sneezing in the process. The binding contained loose sheets of yellowed paper and a collection of letters. "I think it's a diary of some sort," she said trying to read the words.

Kain summoned a small flame on his hand. "This should help," he said using his hand as a lamp.

"Awesome, I didn't know you could control fire," Hunter said impressed with the flame reflecting in her blue eyes making them yellow-blue.

"There's a lot you don't know," he replied with a smirk dancing in his eyes.

"We've established that," she retorted with a teasing smile.

They focused on the writing. "May 27th, 1861…" Hunter read aloud. "Damn this shit is _old_," she said enunciating the word "old."

"Dear Diary, today is the fifth year since we started living in our new home. It's comfortable and I can't wait to have children. Michael and I decided to have two children. That's why we made three bed chambers on the upper floor…" Kain read aloud over her shoulder. "So it's a diary," he added.

"Look at this letter," Hunter said unfolding the old paper that was tucked away between the pages of the diary. "It says: Dear Annette, how are you doing my darling? I know it has only been a month since I have been drafted into the militia but I miss you terribly my sweet love…" she read.

"A love letter," Kain declared as their eyes met.

Hunter grinned. "It's like we just invaded someone's personal life," she said feeling intrigued by the story of the two people from the late 1800's that they stumbled upon. "I want to read it," she said pointing to the diary.

Moments later, they found an oil lamp and after wiping down the antique leather chair, Hunter curled up in Kain's lap and they began reading the diary of a woman named Annette and her letters.

They followed Annette's and her husband's story from the first entry and the love letters between a lady and her soldier. In the diary as well as one of the letters Annette tells of a pregnancy. She writes in the letter to Michael that she was pregnant and that the baby was his, conceived right before he left. In later letters, the couple banters back and forth on what they should name their baby.

"I would truly love to have a son, but as long as it's our child it does not matter, my dear," Kain read aloud one of the letters that Hunter held up for both of them to see.

"Wow, he must be really in love," Hunter said turning the letter over.

"Well it's not like they can choose the gender of the baby anyway," the vampire said calmly, knowing what it's like to be in love. Too bad he had yet to find out what it's like to be loved in return.

"True," she said with a small nod of acknowledgement before picking up yet another letter.

The couple settled on naming the child Edward if it was to a boy and Elizabeth if it were to be a girl. Later in one of the letters Annette wrote of giving birth to a son, the news making her husband nearly die of joy.

As they followed the story along they lost track of time and because they were so immersed in it they also forgot where they were. Halfway done with the diary and the letters in it, Hunter's brow furrowed as she read the neat cursive aloud.

"My Beloved Annette, I am glad our son is doing great but I have some grave news. But before I say anything, I want you to know that you are my beloved and always will be my only one. The last couple days we have been engaged in a battle and we have been losing. Many of our men have fallen and I'm afraid our troops won't win this fight. My heart is filled with sorrow and it tears me apart but I might never see you or my son's face. Know one thing, no matter if I live or die, I will always be there to watch over you. Your beloved, Michael," she read and frowned.

Skipping through some diary pages, they found an old telegram informing Annette of her husband's death. After the telegram, nothing else was written in the diary. "That's so sad," Hunter said quietly as she let her head rest against Kain's chest. The vampire placed his chin on top of her head.

"It's life, fairytale endings are rare," he murmured in a soft yet deep voice. They sat there in a depressed silence for a while before Hunter slid off his lap and searched the rest of the desk and the bookshelves, hoping to find another diary or at least a letter.

"Nothing," she said disappointed. She really wanted to know what happened to Annette and her son.

"There's an extra room here," Kain offered as he pointed to an old wooden door. He turned the key that was in the padlock and pushed the door open. Hunter joined him.

"It's just a wine cellar," he said looking around at the racks of different wines and several barrels.

"Damn, must be some good wine," Hunter said as she eyed a bottle. "Let's try some," she added mischievously.

"How about no," he said grabbing the wine bottle from her hands. He set it back where it was. "You're more trouble than I thought," he teased her as he guided her away from the alcohol.

"Well, I guess you don't know that much about me then either?" she countered with that playful yet devilish grin of hers.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I guess we're even then, huh?" he asked closing the door behind them but not locking it.

"Maybe, but let's get back before Zero wakes up and finds me missing. Being starved isn't fun," she added with a small laugh.

"Good idea," Kain said following her up the stairs. At least they were exiting normally.

They walked back to the academy the way they came but little did they know, that in those dark woods surrounding the old house was a pair of watchful and hungry eyes watching them.

* * * * * * *

"Where were you?" came Kaname's cool voice.

Kain stopped dead in his tracks. He was busted. "I was out," he said. It was the truth – or at least part of it. By the looks of it, Kaname already knew where he went and what he did.

"I can smell that werewolf all over you. What did I tell you about mingling with her?" the pureblood asked, his tone even. Kain couldn't tell whether he was angry or not.

"I apologize, Kaname-sama," was the only thing that he could say. For some reason the pureblood wasn't pleased with Hunter's presence and made it obvious he didn't want them going near her. As to why, it was beyond him.

"You're dismissed," the brunette said. Kain left without a word.

Kaname looked out the window of his room. Tearing his gaze away from the window he looked down on his chessboard. Originally he didn't think Hunter's presence was going to be much of a threat. Now it was another story. She had one of his key players distracted. Instead of guarding his beloved Yuuki, Kiriyuu was off busy babysitting her. It also seemed that he had begun developing feelings for the wolf as well. Not something that he approved of. He needed Kiriyuu focused only on Yuuki.

Another thing he didn't expect was for Akatsuki and Aido to take much of a liking to the girl. Especially Akatsuki. The usually sleepy and lazy vampire would rarely sneak out in the middle of the night.

Hunter was distorting his plans. She was no longer a harmless orphan in his eyes. Adding another chess piece, the pureblood had to consider a new threat to his scheme. Just when things were going perfectly smooth…


	20. The Damsel and The Knight

**Note: I'm terribly sorry! I know I promised a chapter sooner but someone got fired at my work so I've been hauling a double shift and I completely forgot about midterms! **

**Either way, I did write a new chapter. Decided not to go to sleep tonight until I finished it because it's been haunting me for a while. Had to get it out. **

**Since I had some time to think over the story while not writing it, I realized that things were a bit stale between Zero and Hunter. Sure, their relationship has been nicely baking in our little love oven but I figured it was time to turn the heat up. Not too high though, we wouldn't want them getting burned now, would we?**

**I also want to thank all those who reviewed. It helps - a lot.**

**Since spring break is coming up, I'm hoping to have the next chapter out sooner. No promises though. I'll do my best.**

**Well then, I'm done talking.**

**Enjoy!**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-20: The Damsel and The Knight-**

"_Now you'll never see,_

_What you've done to me…"_

The All-American Rejects – Gives You Hell

"You're such a nuisance…" the vampire grumbled as they walked down a hallway.

"That's because you won't feed me!" the wolf retorted angrily with a growl that could have been either her or her stomach.

"Shouldn't have snuck out last night," Zero said indifferently as he laced his fingers behind his head and closed his eyes. Her nagging was giving him a headache.

So maybe he was right. After Hunter came back from her night out with Kain, the damn prefect was waiting for her in her room. It scared the living shit out of her and the first thing he said was 'no steak' for three days. Three freaking days. Hunter thought she was going to die. It's the worst kind of punishment she could ever imagine.

Who the hell did he think he was? Just some stupid vampire that was told to watch over her.

What for though?

"I hate you," she growled in a low voice.

"I don't care, you can feel anyway you please, just can't do whatever you want to," Zero said nonchalantly. Hunter was just being childish and bratty over steak like a kid over candy.

"Can't you 'ground me' in any other way?!" she argued using air quotes. "This is torture! Cruel and unusual punishment even!" she said, her voice rising a couple notches as she desperately tried to persuade him into feeding her.

"It's supposed to be torture and knowing you, this is the only thing that will work," he replied in the same uncaring tone.

She stared at him slightly bewildered. For the love of all gods the human kind ever believed! He really was set on making her suffer! She has snuck out so many times before, _alone _at that, and all he did was lecture her and tighten up the security. The only differences this time were that she was with Kain and they were out all night. It wasn't as if she was alone, being careless and an easy target for Level-E vampires.

Her eyes narrowed in an angry glare.

"Hmm…you're that hungry?" Zero asked feeling a little sadistic. "Why don't you go chase some rodents or something then?" he asked finding pleasure in the fact that the tables have turned. For all the headache and nagging she's bothered him with over _steak_ alone this was sweet vengeance.

An angry tick appeared on her forehead. Clenching her fist she fumed. "Bastard…" she growled angrily.

"Don't tell me you can't hunt, _Hunter_…" he teased feeling vicious. He never knew teasing her in return would be so much fun.

"You stupid-ass mo-%#$^#%! Don't tell me what to do you b-$%#$^%&$* ()$#$%$* &(%^&$%)!!! You %*()%$^! %*^&*# $%$&^% !^&*^% ((**#())) &%^*!!!" Hunter yelled infuriated. Telling her to go hunting. Who the hell does he think he is?

Zero looked at her slightly taken aback. That was a lot of cusswords.

Her angry gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds. _Damn it all to hell!_ She cursed mentally before turning away from him. "I hate you!" she yelled childishly and walked away. _Stupid vampire, thinks he can ground me from food like some stupid-ass parent…_she ranted in her head walking to her room. She never had parents in her life so she didn't know what it was like. It wasn't as if Zero was her parent to begin with. She'd kill herself if he was.

She swung around a corner and bumped into someone. Kaname looked down on her as if expecting an apology but Hunter only threw few angry curses at him and continued walking.

Since Lycian taught her how to control her inner self she was fine. There was no real reason for Zero to continue hovering around her like a bodyguard or watchdog. She never needed him in the first place.

So maybe he took care of her wounds in the beginning. Was there for her when no one else was. Didn't pity her because of the accident. Didn't treat her like an archaeological find of some sort. Saved her even…

"I hate him," she said aloud closing the door behind her. _I am so not talking to him until he feeds me. _Anyone who denied her meat was an enemy.

* * * * * * *

Kaname was on his way to see Chairman Cross about the usual Night Class related stuff when Hunter bumped into him and then cussed him out. The nerve that girl had. Not only did she screw up his plans, she was also careless and rude. The pureblood sighed mentally. He rounded a corner and saw Kiriyuu with a contemplative look on his face.

Having heard the girl cuss out the vampire earlier he smirked. "You're quite the charmer, I see…" he mocked.

Zero shrugged. He was in a good mood for telling Hunter off. There was no way he was going to let that pureblood bastard ruin it for him. "Of course," he replied smugly.

Turning around he banged his fist on a wooden door. "Lycian! I know you're in there and that you heard everything! Come out! We're going to town!" he yelled then turned back around to face the pureblood.

"I see you've also sharpened your tongue, Kiriyuu…" Kaname said slightly amused. Seeing Zero like this was indeed amusing.

The blunt and defiant look in his eyes. The raw anger and rebellious I-don't-give-a-damn attitude.

He never thought that there could be this kind of side to the vampire since he was always all doom and gloom. Or was it always there lying dormant within him? Did Hunter pull it to surface? If that was the case then Hunter was much more of a threat than he had predicted. Last thing he needed was for Kiriyuu to fall in love with her. Or have her stop him being self-hating and gloomy and move on from his unrequited love for Yuuki.

He needed Zero to be entirely devoted and loyal to his beloved little princess. Kiriyuu was the only one capable of protecting her completely at the moment.

"Comes with the job," Zero said with a narrowed gaze lingering on Kaname's face. Other vampires can respect the bastard all they want just because of his pedigree. To him it meant shit.

The door opened and a curly haired brunette popped out. "Yo, Zero," Lycian greeted the prefect before giving the pureblood a small polite nod.

"C'mon, let's go," Zero said giving Kaname one last look then turned on his heel and walked away.

* * * * * * *

Crisp icy wind swayed the dead trees as they walked down the traveled road to the nearby town. Lycian kept on eyeing the vampire almost suspiciously as he wondered what really set him off about Hunter to have actually grounded her. Sure, the girl was mischievous, rebellious, reckless, foulmouthed, stubborn, and definitely a test to anyone's parental skills, but she was also fun and friendly. What he really liked about the girl though was the fact that she wasn't wrapped up in her own beauty. She wasn't one of those vain I'm-too-pretty-to-talk-to-you types and didn't look down on those who weren't up to the standards.

Yes, Hunter was a handful. That much he did admit. It made him wonder if she wasn't the sole reason behind Zero's gray hair. Probably drove him nuts to the point his aging process got sped up. At this rate, he figured, Zero would end up bald and wrinkled by the time he turned twenty-five.

"Oi, how come Hunter didn't come with us? I thought she liked to go out," he asked as they walked into the town.

"She's too much of a spoiled brat. You heard her earlier, didn't you?" the vampire replied staring ahead, his sentry eyes scanning the crowd. Chairman Cross sent them out to gather some supplies and to exterminate two Level-E vampires that were lurking around.

As to where they were, well that was still a mystery.

"Ah…yeah," Lycian said scratching the back of his head. "Don't you think you were a bit too harsh on her though?" he asked looking at him uneasily.

"Nope, she needs to learn," Zero replied flatly.

"You know, that the only way to keep a predator from killing prey is through captivity and by keeping the predator well fed, right?" Lycian asked.

The predator in this case was Hunter and the prey were the humans and the vampires of Cross Academy. Hunter was far more animalistic than she seemed to be. Lycian feared that taking away her main food source might trigger her innate instinct to hunt.

Naturally wild wolves feed on hoofed prey, such as deer, or on critters like rabbits. A wolf pack will attack domestic animals only if their natural source of food has been depleted. Back in the day such incidents gave rise to conflicts between men and wolves. Humans were hunting down the wolves' prey, leaving them with no choice but to begin stealing sheep and other livestock from farms.

Therefore, if Zero refuses to give Hunter her steak, which is her main source of nutrition seeing as she is a carnivore, she might turn to preying on "livestock" to satisfy her hunger. Unfortunately, the only "livestock" available to her are the horses in the stables and of course the students and staff.

It was the last thing anyone wanted to have happen.

"She'll be fine," Zero said in the same flat tone. It wasn't as if he was completely starving her for an extended period of time.

Wild wolves can also go for days without food.

"If you say so," Lycian said and looked ahead of them.

Despite the cold, many merchant stands were out and people bustled about what could be considered a market square. A horse's hooves clanked against the cobblestone somewhere ahead of them. To their left a squirrel darted up a tree, shrieking oddly at the dog that chased it.

Lycian took in a deep breath, his sensitive nose sorting through all the different scents of different people, animals, fresh meat, and spices. No signs of Level-E's.

"So, what's on the list?" the werewolf asked, his curly hair bouncing as he turned his head to look at the vampire.

Zero pulled out a small list from his coat pocket. "Dried basil leaves, turmeric root, rosemary vinegar, dried chilies, ginger, and a penguin oven glove…wait what?" his brows furrowed in confusion as his eyes lingered on the last item on the list. Why on earth did Chairman Cross need yet another oven glove? A penguin one at that!

"That stupid old man!" he growled crushing the list in his hand. "Sending me out to buy him a freaking penguin oven glove," Zero fumed clutching the list.

Lycian shrugged. "Maybe his old one got damaged?" he asked oblivious to Zero's distaste for the headmaster's quirkiness.

Zero's eye slightly twitched at the thought. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his coat along with the crumbled shopping list. Whatever, it wasn't his money he was spending to begin with. Still, it was a bit embarrassing to be buying an oven glove…a penguin one at that. This was one of those rare times Hunter could have been useful.

The vampire's violet eyes wondered over to the tall werewolf beside him. Maybe he should have Lycian buy it?

Liking the idea, Zero pulled out the list once more and ripped it in half. "Here, this is your share," he said handing Lycian the bottom half of the list.

Lycian looked at him slightly surprised by the sudden action but took the piece of paper from him nonetheless. "Dried chilies, ginger, and a penguin oven glove," he smirked at the last item.

"I'll get the first half and you'll get the second half. We'll meet here as soon as we're done," Zero instructed, suddenly wanting to get this done and over with so he can unload his pent up anger on some pathetic Level-Es.

"Aye, aye, captain!" Lycian saluted the younger vampire.

Zero gave the werewolf a cut glare only to receive a small joking smile in return. Lycian then turned on his heel and disappeared into the crowd.

* * * * * * *

Hungry and bored – is what she was at the moment. But above all, just hungry. Yawning she stretched on her bed, her eyes tearing a bit, blurring the image of the plain ceiling above. There was nothing for her to do. Lycian and Zero left to the nearby town. She was supposed to go with them. But there was no way she would. Not after that little fight with the damn prefect.

Hunter slid out of her bed and looked out her window. It was still early. Day Class students bustled about, talking, laughing. Unlike the rest of the students, her room was in the main building. So was Zero's. Apparently he didn't like staying at the boys' dorms. Oh well, not like she cared.

Her stomach grumbled, voicing its hunger. "I know, I know…" she said aloud. If Zero thought starving her would keep her from sneaking out then he was dead wrong.

Either way, there was still nothing for her to do in her room. She was hungry as hell too, could eat a whole cow kind of hungry. At least the evil-incarnate named Zero was off grounds. Hunter smiled. He said he wasn't going to feed her for three days but he didn't say anything about anyone else not feeding her. He also didn't specify that she couldn't go get food herself. Just no steak for three days, from him that is. _Idiot_, she thought with a smirk.

Closing the door quietly behind her, she briskly walked down the long carpeted hallway of the main academy building. It wasn't that far of a walk to the headmaster's personal kitchen. But that wasn't the kitchen she was looking for. No, she was going to the downstairs one with the island in the center. The kitchen where her and Zero spent their mornings and often evenings together.

The only meaningful time they ever really shared was during breakfast. Zero always prepared it while she dressed. Then they would sit together by the island in the center of the kitchen and eat the very breakfast he prepared. He always got the food right too. Sometimes she didn't even have to tell him what she was craving or what she needed. Like this morning he made her cinnamon toast with coffee. It was creepy how he knew what she wanted.

Passing a few students in the hallway she rounded yet another corner. They never talked during breakfast, and if they did, it was usually a casual exchange rather than a deep conversation.

Dinners were a completely different matter. They never shared a dinner. Zero would only prepare her steak then head upstairs to join Yuuki and Chairman Cross for the dinner. Kaien has invited Hunter on several occasions to join them but she had to politely decline. There was only so much human food she could stomach.

Taking another turn, the wolf walked into the large kitchen. A tall raven haired man stood leaning against one of the counters. "Yagari-sensei," Hunter said genuinely surprised as she instantly recognized the man.

Dressed in his casual attire, his jean clad hips rested against the kitchen counter as he held a cup of coffee in one hand. "Hunter-chan," the man greeted with a tip of his hat. "What brings you here?" he asked as he took the rim of the white cup to his lips.

"Looking for food, that damn bastard is refusing to feed me," she replied with a small growl while she opened the refrigerator.

"That's not good," Yagari said taking another sip of his coffee, his cerulean eye following her movements.

"Tell me about it," the girl said as she bent down to look for steak. "Damn it," she cursed finding none.

"What are you looking for?" he asked, unfazed by her foul tongue. When no one was watching he wasn't any better himself.

"Steak, I need meat," Hunter answered closing the fridge. Damn prefect knew she'd come looking for meat on her own.

The ethics teacher by day opened the freezer and scanned the contents looking for any possible frozen meat. Finding none, he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a carry-out box. "I have left over pork chops from lunch if you want," he offered holding up the white Styrofoam box.

Hunter sighed. Any meat would just about do now. "Better than nothing," she said taking the box from him.

The vampire hunter leaned back against the counter and resumed drinking his coffee. Hunter stuffed the carry-out box into the microwave and joined him. "So why is Kiriyuu refusing to feed you?" the teacher asked.

"Because I snuck out with Akatsuki Kain last night, not like we really did anything either," she replied omitting the fact that they spent the whole night at an abandoned house reading the diary of a woman from late 1800s.

"Maybe he's jealous," Yagari offered though judging by Hunter's expression that wasn't what she was thinking.

"Doubt it, I think he just gets a rise out of torturing me," she said flatly. "Ne, you've known that asshole for a long time, haven't you? Do you know why he's such a dick by any chance?" she asked looking up at him.

A low chuckle escaped his lips. Hunter sure had a way of wording things. "It's really not my place to say anything but he went through more than his fare share of things," he said in a calm deep voice. "I think it has more to do with the fact that he's a vampire hunter who was turned into a vampire."

Hunter chewed over his words when the microwave beeped, signaling that it was done heating up her meal. She pulled out the box and grabbed a knife and a fork before closing the utensil drawer with her hip. "Hm, that's like being what you eat," she said opening the box. Steam rose out in a small white cloud and the scent of finely prepared meat filled the kitchen.

Touga gave her a small nod. "Being turned into a vampire is far worse than being born one," he said and took a sip of his black coffee. "Unlike born vampires, turned vampires must drink the blood of their creators otherwise they go berserk with blood lust…" his voice trailed off. "It's quite amazing that Kiriyuu hasn't fallen to a Level-E yet, especially since his body rejects the blood tablets," he added in an afterthought.

"I guess that could explain why he's such a crab-ass," she said chewing the meat, finding her hunger satisfied and her mind clearer. Closing the box, she burped. "Thanks for the meal," she said and got up, disposing of the white box and tossed the utensils into the sink.

Yagari offered her a small smile in return, amused with her tomboyish mannerisms.

Hunter washed the fork and knife then dried her hands. "Let's keep this between us," she said. "Zero can't know you fed me."

His closed lipped smile slightly widened and he made a zipper motion with his fingers over his lips. Hunter smirked and walked out of the kitchen.

* * * * * * *

"Is that the last of them?" Lycian asked as he snapped the neck of yet another Level-E. The creature disintegrated into sand in his arms.

Chairman Cross said there were only two that he was aware of but they ran into what seemed to be the hornets' nest.

After him and Zero met up, his nose caught the faint scent of a Level-E and lead them to an abandoned, run-down, two story house. In the basement of the building they found at least six Level-Es.

Zero pulled the trigger, sending a bullet through a vampire's skull. "That was the last one," he said watching it disintegrate.

"So much for just two, huh?" the werewolf asked walking up to the vampire.

Kiriyuu didn't say anything as he picked up one of the shopping bags and threw it to Lycian before picking up another one for himself.

Lycian caught the bag with ease and grinned. "We make quite the team, don't we?" he asked referring to the work they did exterminating the Level-E vampires.

Zero threw him a blank stare then climbed up a torn concrete staircase. So maybe the werewolf did help him locating and taking out all the crazed vampires in that basement. But that didn't make them a team.

"Let's head back," he said in his usual tone.

* * * * * * *

Zero swung open the door to Hunter's room as he went about his usual evening rounds. When a wave of cold air hit him, he looked up and noticed Hunter crouched in the open window. A gust of wind lifted and danced with her hair.

Hunter hazarded a look towards the door. _Aw shit,_ she muttered mentally when she saw it was Zero. Regardless, she was still going to leave.

She turned her head and looked at the ground below. It was quite far from where she was perched. If she were human, considering a jump like the one she was planning to execute would be suicide. Luckily for her, she wasn't human.

Zero stood frozen as she readied herself to jump. In the last second things connected in his brain. "Wait!" he yelled as he sprung forward, his outburst startling Hunter causing her to turn towards him.

As if in slow motion, he grabbed her arm and pulled back hard, sending her crashing into his chest and him off his feet. "What were you doing?" he asked catching the breath that was knocked out of his lungs.

Hunter glared up at him with defiant eyes, hiding how shocked she really was. His actions startled her. "What the hell did it look like? I was going to sneak out again," she growled then tried pushing herself off him but he stopped her.

"You're not going anywhere," he said sternly as he held her in place.

Her eyes narrowed. "Yes I am," she retorted and began struggling against his vice-like grip.

"No," he said firmly, his violet eyes boring deeply into hers with unbending resolution to keep her inside.

An angry tick appeared on her face. "Yes," she said and wrenched her arm free.

After being stuck inside virtually all day, Hunter wanted to go out for a walk and get some fresh air. There was no way he was going to stop her.

Before Hunter could take two steps away from Zero, the vampire latched onto her once more, this time twisting her around and pinning her under his weight.

Hunter's eyes narrowed down furiously into a defiant glare. "Let me go," she hissed trying to twist herself free.

"I'm not letting you out tonight," he said in the same stern tone. It would take a lot more to break his iron resolve. It was past the academy's curfew and no Day Class students were allowed to be out. This rule also applied to Hunter. He didn't care she wasn't human.

She wriggled her body under his weight. His chest was pressing against hers and his weight was crushing her. The guy didn't weigh a ton but in comparison to her lithe frame he was heavy.

"Damn it get off me," she growled twisting, feeling her heart rate speed up as the proximity began to make her feel uncomfortable.

Feeling his warm breath brush against the skin on her neck she turned her head to look him straight in the eyes. "C'mon, get off me," she said half-growling. "Don't you have anything better to do, Dracula? Why don't you go floss your fangs or something?" she asked knowing that touching his vampire side was also touching a very sensitive nerve.

"No is no," Zero said in a low voice as they were almost nose to nose.

Hunter could feel the threat in his words. She touched a nerve as expected. But with him so close and with his breath on her lips, she felt tense with her muscles tout and all her senses alert. Too close for comfort, she thought as she tried to hold the defiant glare in her silver-blue eyes.

Zero had no intentions of letting her go. Even if it meant keeping her pinned down all night. He wasn't going to let her sneak out past the curfew and get attacked by a Level-E and then have his ears bleed from getting yelled at if anything happened to her. Personally he could care less what happened to the girl. If it wasn't his job to watch her then he'd let her go – gladly even.

Keeping her pinned firmly beneath his body, he could feel her lithe toned body twist against his as she tried to set herself free. "Give it up, you're not going anywhere," he told her with an unwavering gaze, though the friction she was causing was beginning to make him feel uncomfortable as well.

Hunter stopped squirming and looked into his solid gaze. She was breathing hard from trying to set herself free and her heart was racing. Feeling like a trapped animal never felt good.

Licking her lips, she formed a Plan B.

Without a warning, she lifted her head enough that her lips crashed against his. She kissed him with a hot and raw lust that spread from her bloodstream to his.

Before Zero could overcome his shock, Hunter extracted her fangs and sunk them into his lip, drawing blood.

The vampire sucked his breath in pain and moved. The slight move allowed her enough room to wriggle herself free and away from him.

Zero cursed quietly and dangerously as he wiped his blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. Hunter looked into his crimson eyes and grinned triumphantly before she leapt from her window into the darkness of the night.

* * * * * * *

Damning the wolf to hell and back at least fifty times already, he ran after her fleeing shadow through the grounds of Cross Academy. He still couldn't quite wrap his head around the kiss he received earlier but that didn't matter right now.

He was pissed. Extremely pissed.

Hunter was lucky she didn't know how much she pissed him off sometimes. That damn wolf did whatever the hell she wanted. What if something happened when she snuck out? He'd be the one responsible. _Stupid girl,_ he thought angrily as he ran after her.

Sometimes he thought everything would be alright. When she wasn't being a complete brat that is. During those times he actually thought that she wasn't that bad. But most of the time he wanted to strangle her, squeeze the life out of her in vengeance for playing on his nerves. For all that headache she's given him. For making his life a living hell. That stupid girl…she drove him nuts.

Zero saw her silhouette contrast with the wall that surrounded the campus. Surrounded by dead trees and snow, he watched as she ran up the wall, caught onto the edge then swung her dancer's body over to the other side.

Cursing mentally, he picked up his pace and jumped over the wall as well. Now in the forest outside the academy, things were far more dangerous. Whether Hunter liked it or not, he had to bring her back.

The icy breeze bit mercilessly at his swollen lip, opening the wound and making it bleed once more. For some reason it was also refusing to heal. Knowing his luck, it was probably because the wound was inflicted by Hunter.

Wiping the blood from his mouth as he ran he noticed the black satin band around his wrist. Feeling stupid for having forgotten about it, he stopped running. "Hunter! Stop! Stop running!" he yelled after her.

His wrist was jerked roughly forwards as the binding that bound them together activated. Hunter was yanked backwards by her neck but this time she didn't fall.

A sigh of relief escaped his mouth. Should have remembered the binding sooner. Now all he had to do is walk up to her and shorten the invisible leash so he could drag her back to the academy.

Barely twenty feet from each other, he looked up at her. Their gazes locked as the passionate kiss he received from her played in his mind. As much as he hated to admit, feeling her lips against his actually sent fire racing through his veins. It was a strange sensation he never felt before. Not in that way at least.

Now Hunter stood twenty feet from him. With that ever defiant look in her icy blue eyes. She sure was a handful and then some.

A shot suddenly rang out through the night. Hunter's eyes went wide with shock as the bullet pierced her right shoulder, right beneath her collarbone. Her mouth slightly opened as if she wanted to call out, to scream. Blood began seeping through her clothing, staining them red. With a dull thud, her body fell to the snow covered ground.

"Hunter!" Zero called out, panicked as he raced to her. It all happened so fast and so slow at the same time.

Skidding on the snow to a halt, he knelt down in the blood stained snow beside her. "Hunter…" he called out her name, much softer now as he surveyed the damage.

It was bad. She was pierced with what looked like a rifle bullet, the kind used for hunting down large prey. The bullet didn't go through her body, which meant it was still inside her. It also entered from her front, and that meant that the shooter was behind him. Were they aiming for him?

Ripping off his sleeve, the vampire fought his natural urges as his eyes began glowing crimson. Adding pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding he whispered. "Stay with me Hunter, stay with me."

Hunter's eyes moved to look at him. "Zero…I'm sorry…" she whispered as blood trickled down the corner of her mouth, her world fading into darkness.

"Hunter!" he yelled but it was all in vain. All he could do is hope she wasn't dead yet. Scooping her up into his arms he raced against time back to the academy.

Somewhere in the distance a church bell tolled off the hour, signaling it was midnight.

Midnight, the bewitching hour.

It's been a long time since he felt fear.

And right now…he was scared as hell.


	21. Guilty

**Note: Sorry for the delay! I wrote most of this chapter like a week and a half ago but then ran into this weird "writer's block" where I couldn't write but didn't run out of ideas at all?**

**It was weird. Regardless, chapter 21 is out!**

**I apologize for any mistakes that may appear in this chapter.**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-21: Guilty-**

"_Send me to jail. I'm not guilty, but I'm used to it."_

– Giacomo 'Fat Jack' DiNorscio (Find Me Guilty, 2006)

"When we do something wrong it is tempting to feel very guilty in the hope that by making ourselves suffer we can make everything OK. It is also possible by feeling guilty we in some respects try to draw sympathy or even pass on our guilt to someone else.

Quite often it is difficult to give up our sense of guilt, our mind likes to judge people and ourselves. The mind can be also liable to dwell on the negative side of things. If we identify ourselves only with our mind and thoughts guilt is likely to remain."

–Excerpt from _The Hunger of Darkness and the Feast of Light_, Part 1 by Sri Chinmoy

Sunlight filtered in through the curtains casting its glow upon the floor while leaving the rest of the room in a shadow. Kain's long arms were draped over the back of the dark red velvet sofa as he sat there solemnly in the late afternoon sun.

With the light casting shadows in his wild hair and accentuating all the right things he may have been quite the sight to an on-looking eye. Except the mirthless look in his eyes ruined the picturesque pose.

On the other end of the sofa Hanabusa sat leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. Fingers laced together, he stared off into space, the same look marring his seemingly angelic face.

"What's wrong with you two?" came Ruka's voice as stood in the doorway of Aido's room. "You're both acting like your pet hamster died or something," she commented eyeing their solemn expressions.

The depressed aura in the room kept the girl from walking in further as she felt it may suffocate her. Something was definitely wrong with these two. Kain was always more laid back so for him to lounge on a sofa all day was normal. But for someone as energetic as Hanabusa to do the same was quite abnormal. Besides, they really did look like their pet hamster died.

Kain suddenly lifted himself off the expensive piece of furniture and shrugged his white jacket on. "I'm leaving early," he said in a monotone voice, his eyes never meeting Ruka's.

"Me too," Aido chimed in following his cousin.

"Going to bury your dead hamster?" Ruka teased Kain as he brushed past her in the doorway, hoping it'd cheer him up.

Kain looked over his shoulder. "Stop it, alright?" he asked with an indignant expression on his face. Ruka was either being really stupid or just poking fun at what happened.

Kain hoped it wasn't the latter, but had to accept the fact that it might as well be. After all, it was seemingly taboo to have friends outside of their little vampire circle.

Without another word, or as much as even a glance, he walked out and Aido followed with his head low and hands shoved deep into his pockets – the stance being highly uncharacteristic of him.

Kain loved Ruka but there was always a limit to things.

* * * * * * *

He was tense. Nervous. Edgy even.

"Please stand back!" Yuuki yelled pleading as she desperately tried to push back the crowd of love crazed teenage girls.

The cold breeze swayed the bare tree branches. Even in this weather the devout fans were there to support their idols. Maybe if they knew what those beloved idols of theirs were they wouldn't be so obsessed. Or maybe it would increase their obsession further. Leave them thinking it romantic to be whisked away by a handsome bloodsucker into the night.

"Zeeroo! Help me!!!" Yuuki yelled, straining to keep the girls from trampling her.

The vampire heard her but her words didn't get through to him. Not even the annoying shrieking and 'kyaas' got to him. In his mind he was somewhere else, where under the silver light of the moon blood stained the perfect white snow. It was his fault. The bullet should have hit him, not her.

The gates creaked on their hinges as they always did. Someone needed to oil those damn things. An outburst of fanatic screams followed the creak only to be cut in half.

Whispers erupted among some of the girls. "Where's Aido-sempai?" one girl asked confused and disappointed, her question echoed by a few other girls.

"What about Wild-sempai?" another girl asked.

The whispers caught Zero's attention. His clouded eyes cleared as he surveyed the crowd. Aido Hanabusa and Akatsuki Kain were nowhere in sight. His jaw clenched and his teeth ground together. He knew exactly where those two were.

* * * * * * *

"Akatsuki-san, Aido-san…" Chairman Cross greeted the two vampires with a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. Tired and worn, the man graced bags and dark circles under his slightly bloodshot eyes. The low light in the hallway cast shadows upon his face, making him look far grimmer than he really was. It was the visage of an exhausted man, an image that neither was quite ready to see on Chairman Cross.

They both gave him small nods in return. "So, how…?" Aido trailed unable to find the courage to ask what he really wanted to.

The Chairman's expression gave nothing away as he motioned for them to follow him and opened the door to a room. The scent of blood and antiseptics hit them hard. "Hey guys," Lycian greeted them as he rinsed a bloodied cloth.

The werewolf stood beside a dresser, upon which piles of wet cloths, some bloodied, were stacked alongside clean ones. He was rinsing a cloth in a large bowl filled with warm water, now stained red with Hunter's blood. His face slightly pale, he was just as exhausted as the headmaster was.

To their right, Hunter lay unconscious on her bed under a set of clean sheets. Her complexion ashen, lips chapped and purple circles around her once vibrant silver-blue eyes. "How is she?" Kain asked trying to breathe normally against the stench of blood.

"She'll be fine," Lycian said from where he stood.

"We worked all night and all day to get the bullet out and patch her up, but she'll make it," Chairman said from behind them.

"Hunter's still slightly feverish since she did lose a lot of blood. We transfused some from Lycian since his was the closest thing to what's in her veins, let's just hope it doesn't backfire," the man added tiredly.

"She's tough as nails I tell ya," Lycian chimed in dropping the cloth into a pile of other rinsed cloths. He placed his hands on his hips and joined the three men gathered around the unconscious girl.

"To be a moon-based wolf and make it after being shot with a silver bullet is really amazing," the werewolf said with a small smile.

"What do you mean?" Kain asked finding himself confused. He wasn't told that bit of information.

Lycian looked at him briefly not understanding the question at first. "Ah, you weren't told, I forgot," he said when things clicked. All the two vampires knew was that Hunter was shot and that it was bad. "Well, you see, Hunter is a moon-based wolf, meaning she responds to the moon and certain things associated with it – like silver. I know it sounds like an old wives' tale, but that's just it," he said.

Walking over to the dresser, Lycian picked up a silver rifle bullet, Hunter's blood cleaned off of it. "That's the bullet that hit her," he explained holding it up to the vampires. "For a wolf like her to be hit with one of these generally means death…" he broke off eyeing them. "But because our little Hunter is tougher than a coffin nail and because the bullet didn't hit any vital organs she'll be as good as new in a couple of weeks," he finished with a grin.

The way he talked about her was as if he was a mechanic at a collision repair center, summarizing the damage of a car to their owners and the process of what needs to be done. It was almost as if patching up Hunter was as easy as replacing the front bumper on a car.

"Basically her recovery rate was slowed down to almost a human's just because it was a silver bullet. If it was any standard bullet or even anti-vampire one, she would have recovered in an instant," Kaien added. If he hadn't been so tired he'd be having a field day learning all those things about Hunter's kind. An exhausted sigh escaped the Chairman's lips. A mountain of paperwork awaited him back in his office too.

"Ah, night classes are about to start, I don't want you being late boys," Kaien suddenly said after checking his watch. He ushered the two vampires out of Hunter's room like a nurse.

Looking over his shoulder he looked at Lycian. "I suggest you get some sleep too, Lycian-san, I'll send Kiriyuu-kun over to watch Hunter-chan," he said to the werewolf.

"Alright, I'll just finish cleaning up," Lycian replied and stuffed the rinsed and dirty rags into a large garbage bag with intentions of taking it down to the laundry room. He was hungry and exhausted.

* * * * * * *

Two days after the incident Hunter was still unconscious. It really wasn't much of a surprise, considering her wounds. Walking to their next class, Lycian and Zero made their way down a corridor. Yuuki and Yori trailed behind them, deeply engrossed in their conversation about the upcoming break. The winter break was weeks away but many students were already exchanging their plans for the vacation. It was only natural.

"So I'm really thinking of going home for the break," Lycian said to the prefect beside him.

The two have gotten closer but to say that they were friends would be a little farfetched. They got along and Zero became used to his presence. Initially he thought that the werewolf stuck around simply because of Hunter. To see him stick around even in the girl's absence was not something Zero expected.

Regardless, Kiriyuu found the werewolf's company far more tolerable than most of those around them. Sometimes he thought Lycian talked too much and had way too much energy for someone his age but he figured it was just his personality. He loved Yuuki and she annoyed him sometimes too. Nobody's perfect.

"I think I ought to go see my folks, y'know? Haven't seen them in months so I think it'd be nice," Lycian continued on, though Zero didn't bother to comment. Unlike Lycian, he really had nowhere to go. Cross Academy was his home and Yuuki along with her psychotic headmaster father were his family whether he liked it or not.

Then there was the issue of Hunter. Lycian even called his father about Hunter's condition only to be told that she would recover faster if she woke up and ate lots of meat. That really didn't help considering she was still in a coma. No one knew how fast she was going to recover or how much longer was she going to remain in her comatose state.

Looking straight ahead his violet eyes spotted a familiar mop of blond hair and a dark green shawl. What was Chairman doing in the hallway?

"Kiriyuu-kun! Lycian-san!" Kaien Cross called out waving to them.

Zero groaned inwardly. Shouldn't have wondered about what that man wanted. He shouldn't have even spotted him in the hallway, just ignored his existence. Maybe then he'd get away from the eccentric happy-go-lucky-let's-make-peace-between-vampires-and-humans attitude. As if that was even possible.

In theory the idea may have sounded good but in practice it didn't do as well. Humans and vampires had a predator-prey relationship. The only way to keep predators from killing prey is in captivity and by keeping the predator well fed. Satisfy the hunger and you satisfy the need to hunt. What the Chairman was doing was literally putting wolves and rabbits in the same cage. The vampires may refrain from attacking humans at the academy but outside in the real world the chances of things staying peaceful were rather slim.

Thinking that, he felt like a moron. A bona fide moron. If he wouldn't have denied Hunter her meat she wouldn't have had the urge to go out – and hunt. _She wouldn't have gotten shot either_, he told himself. Zero knew it was his fault Hunter got hurt. His ego and foolishness were the sole reason she was in a coma with a bullet wound in her shoulder.

"I need you guys to do me a favor," Chairman Cross said as they walked up to him.

_Favor, great…_Zero thought eyeing the former vampire hunter suspiciously.

"Sure, what do ya need?" Lycian asked earnestly. Sometimes the guy was too nice for his own good.

"I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on, so do you think you could change Hunter-chan's bandages after classes are over?" the blonde man asked pushing up his glasses.

"Everything we need is in her room, right?" Lycian asked jerking his head slightly to move the curls out of his face.

"Yeah, on the dresser," Kaien confirmed.

Readjusting the backpack on his shoulder Lycian grinned. "Alright, we'll do it, right Zero?" he asked looking over at the prefect beside him.

Arms crossed over his chest the vampire looked at them dully. "Yeah," he voiced, shoved his hands deep into his pockets and began walking away.

Lycian bid farewell to the Chairman and caught up with Zero. "I get to see Hunter's twins again! Score!" He cheered in a sing song voice.

Zero looked over at him confused. What twins was he talking about? "What are you talking about?" he asked the werewolf.

"Oh you know, her twins. Her bodacious tatas," Lycian said bouncing invisible breasts in front of his chest. "The big B.O.M.B.S! Don't tell me you don't want to see them! She's got the biggest watermelons out of all the girls in this school," he said like a hormone driven thirteen-year-old.

Not only was Lycian a werewolf but apparently also a pervert. No wonder he accepted the Chairman's request so zealously. Zero's brow furrowed a little as he wondered how old the guy next to him really was.

"She's only seventeen and she's already got a 34D cup and it's all real. Besides that, she's got star-quality looks, a smoking hot body, and a tight little ass with the right amount of booty," Lycian continued as he fantasized about Hunter's body.

"Really…" Zero said dispassionately. He never looked at Hunter in that way. He's already seen her half-naked multiple times and he wasn't as obsessed with her 'smoking hot body' as Lycian was.

Lycian looked over at Zero slightly surprised the prefect wasn't as enthusiastic as he was. "Don't tell me you're so gentlemanly that you never wondered how she'd look naked or that you never wanted to spank that perky little ass of hers," he said as he pushed open the door to their classroom.

Looking up, Zero noted that Yuuki and Yori were already seated. A group of girls huddled in the front of the classroom and gossiped. Some of the guys that sat all the way at the top were laughing while some students just patiently awaited the instructor's arrival.

"No, I haven't," Zero replied as he made his way to an empty upper row. He didn't like sitting around a lot of people.

"Oh man, you _are_ one of those straight up gentlemen that do the whole 'respect-the-ladies' thing," Lycian said smugly as he followed him. "You honestly never thought about her like that? Damn," he added in slight disbelief as he took a seat next to Zero.

_Me a gentleman?_ Zero wondered. No, he wasn't a gentleman, not at all. Being a gentleman included being nice to everyone, especially all women. Doing things like opening and holding the door for them, letting them go first and etcetera. He wasn't even that nice to Yuuki.

"I wouldn't say I'm a gentleman," he said to the hormone driven guy beside him.

"Then are you in love with her?" Lycian asked, his chocolate brown eyes lingering on the vampire as he awaited his response.

Zero coughed as if he choked on air. "W-what?" he asked finally turning to look at him.

"I'm serious, you two are pretty much glued at the hip and I think you'd make cute kids," he replied pulling out a notebook and a pen.

An image of black and white snarling fanged puppies with glowing crimson eyes formed in Zero's mind.

"That's a definite no," he said disgusted. "I'm around her because I've been forced into it since her day one here. There's really nothing to like about her either," he paused, memories of all the headaches Hunter has given him playing in his mind.

"She has the etiquette of a college frat boy, she's completely and utterly lazy, has absolutely no respect for anyone, says whatever she wants, cusses like a sailor, and honestly - I don't know if that _thing_ is even a woman," he ranted enumerating just some of the things he hated about Hunter. But did he really mean what he said?

"C'mon, she's not that bad is she?" Lycian asked. He'd agree with Zero on some of the things, like her bad language, but Hunter really wasn't as bad as he made her out to be.

"Hunter is a petulant little brat," Zero said, his tone final.

_That's some pent up anger,_ Lycian thought amused. "Does that mean I can have her?" he asked mischievously.

"Knock yourself out," Zero replied with a shrug though once again he wasn't sure if he meant what he said.

Their teacher soon walked in and the class fell silent. "Open to page two-seventy-five," the teacher ordered picking up a piece of chalk and began writing on the chalkboard.

This was the first time Zero was glad that the teacher showed up on time.

* * * * * * *

All chatter and noises gradually faded as Lycian and Zero made their way up to the floor where Hunter's room was. The sun was already hanging low on the horizon, casting a golden orange glow upon the world. Yet the warm hues did little to warm the freezing cold of the winter.

Turning a corner, the sun's dying light no longer reached them. Surrounded by doors on both sides, the hallway was poorly lit by small wall lamps that were mounted too far from one another, leaving pools of darkness in result. Zero's and Lycian's eyes adjusted instantly, they were night creatures after all.

Lycian could feel the tension in Zero's muscles. The guy had been stretched like a piano wire since the night of the incident. He knew that the prefect was blaming himself for what happened.

Probably thought it was wrong to talk about Hunter the way he did too.

But it wasn't his fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. It was an accident. There was no way for him to stop the bullet. Even if it pierced him first.

The door to Hunter's room groaned on its hinges quietly as Zero pushed it open.

"Still out," the werewolf commented making his way over to the bundles of fresh bandages atop the dresser. It was impossible to predict when Hunter would awaken from her coma, or if she would ever wake up from it in the first place. It could be any second, two days from now, months, or never.

* * * * * * *

Blue eyes staring into the darkness, Hunter wondered where she was. She couldn't feel or see anything. Under normal circumstances she would more than likely be freaked out but for some reason the darkness was soothing.

_Hm…am I dead? Or is this a dream?_ She questioned as she floated in the black world. If this was a dream she wouldn't be able to think it is a dream, she was able to deduct that much. Did that mean she was dead?

Her mind scrambled for the answer but she was too hungry to bother with something as philosophical as to whether she was dead or alive. _If I'm dead I wouldn't be so fucking hungry,_ she thought finally. _Ah shit, what am I then?_ She asked.

Hungry and in pitch black where she couldn't even see her own hands, neither dreaming nor dead, Hunter could only think of steak. Was this some sick trick Zero was playing? Did he lock her in some dark cellar?

The thought sparked an idea in her mind. If she wasn't dreaming and if she wasn't dead, and if there is a miniscule possibility that the damn fanged bastard drugged her and locked her in somewhere there had to be an exit. There always was. If there's an entrance there's an exit. Simple as that.

Hunter moved and began feeling around, only to find nothing. No cold ground or slick old cellar bricks. No warm bed sheets or old musty carpeting. _I'm hungry, I want steak,_ she announced to herself. A rare fillet mignon sautéed in wine, tenderloin or a sirloin steak would be great too. A grilled New York strip steak marinated in bourbon and other spices for hours before grilling would make her day.

Drooling like a starved animal, Hunter recalled the first time Zero made her steak. It was done medium rare, sautéed in dry white wine and some onion and herb mixture. It was tasty, juicy and absolutely delicious. Would have been better without all the rice and wasabi on the side but it was amazing nonetheless.

"Zero, make me a fucking steak! I'm starving here you bastard!" she said aloud to herself. "No wasabi either!" she added as she drooled at the mere thought of eating a juicy fillet mignon.

_Did you hear something?_ A voice echoed in the darkness. Hunter's eyes darted about curiously. Did someone say something?

A big juicy steak appeared before her. "Oooh, steaaakk…" she drooled reaching out for it forgetting the voice.

Hunter grabbed onto the giant steak with both of her hands and licked it. "Delicious, yummy yum, yum," she purred licking the steak. Biting into it she savored its taste. "Just like Zero's steak," she commented as the delicious flavor took over her senses.

_I swear she just said 'steak' or something like that_. The voice said again. _Wait, what the hell is she doing?_ It asked.

_Is she coming to?_ Another voice asked. _Hey, Hunter_…the voice called out. Something began shaking her shoulder as well.

Hunter growled. "My steak!" she snarled sinking her fangs into the meat. No one was going to take her steak from her. No one, not even if they were to threaten her life.

* * * * * * *

Lycian and Zero watched bewildered as Hunter chomped down on her pillow, growling and covering it in drool. "My steak, mine…" she growled gnawing at the pillow.

"Dude, what the hell is she doing?" Lycian asked watching in pure astonishment as she ripped the pillow case with her teeth.

Speechless, Zero had no idea what to do. They came in to change her bandages when she suddenly started talking in her coma slash sleep about steaks…and him.

"Hunter, wake up," he said shaking her unwounded shoulder.

The girl growled in response.

"Try taking the pillow from her before she actually eats it," Lycian offered taking a step back. If she was going to attack anyone or anything, he'd rather not be it.

Zero cautiously tugged at Hunter's pillow only to have her growl at him more ferociously. He narrowed his eyes. If she eats the pillow he's going to be in trouble with the Headmaster. With one hard tug he ripped the pillow from Hunter, making her teeth clamp against each other.

Hunter's eyes snapped open. "Bitch gimme back my steak!" she yelled infuriated at Zero.

Lycian burst out laughing. Holding his stomach he choked out between laughs, "ha-ha-oh-my-god-that-ha-ha-was-hilarious!"

Hunter looked at them confused. Zero was holding a torn drool-covered pillow and Lycian was laughing on the other side of room. A shot of pain suddenly rang through her right shoulder. "Aw fuck!" she cursed catching onto her wounded shoulder. "Ow, ow, ow!!!!" she yelled curling into a ball.

"Hunter!" both Zero and Lycian called out simultaneously.

Zero dropped the pillow and went to her side. "Hunter, sit up, you're only going to open up your wound," he said trying to get her to sit up.

"Aaaahhhh!!!!" Hunter screamed as tears formed in the corners of her eyes, though refusing to fall.

"Hurts like a biaaaatch!!!" she yelled in agony sitting up as Zero told her. "What the hell did you do to me?!?!" she demanded.

A pang of guilt struck Zero and his stomach sank low. Did she really not remember?

* * *

**P.S. If I had Hunter "croak" then it would be the end of story. That's down right impossible when there's still real romance yet to be established.**

**Also, sorry for cutting this chapter a bit short. Initially I was going to make it waaaayyy longer but I felt like I was delaying the update and this was also a good way to end a chapter. **

**I already started chapter 22 so hopefully I'll finish it faster than the last two. No promises though.**

**Oh, and I know I could have made "Hunter's awakening" far more romantic by making Zero sit by her bedside and hold her hand and apologize for what happened and etcetera and then have her wake up and smile at him and say it's okay but that was just way to cliche for me. _Overdone,_ is all I can say. Besides, I think this was far more in-character for them both. **

**Anyway, you all ought to brace yourselves for the next chapter. Hint: we'll find out who dunnit. **


	22. Guilty, Part 2

**Author's Note: Ack! Sorry for not updating!!!!! Unfortunately I broke my hand in two places so it's been in cast for the last six weeks. I ended up PECKING this entire chapter. I recently got the cast off but I still have to wear a brace for the next three weeks...then therapy. Because of my stupidity this chapter isn't as good or as long as it could have been but I lost my patience....and I will try to peck the next chapter faster.....**

**Now, to reply to all the comments/reviews....I apologize if I skip someone.**

**1. I am fully aware of my Prefect / Perfect mistake. I've stated this earlier, but I was typing "perfect" while reading it as "prefect" and because it was spelled correctly the spell-check never picked it up. I'll fix it eventually. Now I purposely look for that mistake and make sure I spelled prefect instead of perfect....**

**2. I by-passed the BETA reader originally because that would delay chapter updates....now I can't even update regularly....**

**3. This story is a little Twilight-ish. Well, in all honesty, I have never read Twilight or watched the movie. All I know is that it's supposed to be some big-hit vampire flick. Everything in this story is my sick imagination. It all started with "what if..." and then I went from there creating a character that just like every other protagonist was undoubtedly beautiful but unlike the greater majority she failed in the personality department of the typical Mary Sue. **

**I got tired of reading about the oh-so-cute, beautiful inside and out, love at first sight crap. Besides, this story is a ZeroxOC fanfic and I highly doubt Zero would go for the typical loveable goody-two shoes. Another Yuuki-like character wouldn't work either. I figured Zero would never pursue a girl other than Yuuki (he doesn't even make that many advances there either) so I needed a girl that would make advances on HIM. And Hunter does it well.....I think?**

**4. The name/surname thing. Truthfully, I wasn't keeping it in any order or specifically Japanese or English. I just threw in whatever I saw fit? I guess I should be more mindful of that....**

**Keep in mind though, both Hunter and Lycian are foreigners. Hunter is Finnish and Lycian is Italian. **

**P.S. I didn't use spell-check this time so there are probably a lot of spelling mistakes...**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-22: Guilty, Part 2-**

_"We are all guilty..."_

Her crystalline eyes demanded an answer. The mounting tension felt almost as if it was going to suffocate them.

"Ha-ha, what's with this Mexican standoff?" Lycian asked laughing nervously.

"Tell me," Hunter said in a low threatening voice. She wasn't going to beat around the bush.

Zero's eyes focused on hers and he noticed something strange. Her right eye was a piercing silver color while her left was a cerulean blue. Also, the mark behind her left ear was now large, the black tattoo-like tribal lines ran down her neck before twisting off, surrounding the black crescent moon that told of her bloodline.

"What are you staring at?" Hunter asked feeling uneasy under his scrutinizing gaze.

"Your eyes…" he trailed off, his tongue unable to form the right words.

"What about her eyes?" Lycian asked walking up closer and leaning down to look at her eyes. "Oh shit! They're two different colors!" He exclaimed amused and excited as if it was a pleasant surprise.

"The mark…" Zero added pointing to the black lines on her neck.

"Whoa, that's so cool…" the werewolf trailed off leaning in even closer to get a better look.

"Assholes!" Hunter yelled smacking them with her other pillow she failed to drool on. "Tell me what happened and quit changing the topic!" she added infuriated. She stared the two teenage boys down with an icy regard, challenging them to try to weasel their way out without an explanation.

Zero's eyes hardened. "If you're asking if I shot you then I can tell you I didn't," he said unwavering under her piercing gaze. He felt guilty for letting her get shot but he wasn't the one who shot her.

The tension thickened between them with each passing second. Feeling as if though the two were about to attack each other, Lycian slapped Zero's shoulder. "He's right, he was the prince on the not-exactly-white stallion that saved you," he chimed in with a laugh. "Actually… it wasn't even a stallion either…" he mused in an afterthought.

Zero's glare was redirected towards the werewolf in an instant. Hunter's brows furrowed in confusion.

"You see my dear little lass, you ran out into the woods while this good old ever-heroic lad chased after you and when you suddenly stopped – BAM! You were shot girly," the werewolf continued with a horrible fake British accent as he squeezed Zero's shoulder, almost as if to keep the vampire from lunging at him.

Her mind drew a blank and the last thing she could remember was running through the school grounds. Lycian continued to explain how a local rancher was out in the woods hunting down "an enormous wolf" that has stolen one of his sheep yet again. "When he spotted the two of you, he told us that he thought you guys were the wolf he was after, because your silhouettes were melted together into _one_," Lycian said looking suggestively at Zero.

"The poor old guy was really freaked out when he rode up to find out he didn't shoot a wolf but a girl," he continued. "I think that's a little ironic since Hunter _is_ a wolf, so he did shoot a wolf, just not the right one," he added with a laugh.

"Anyway, the best part starts now. The farmer had two horses with him, one for him to ride on and another to load up the wolf on if he shot it, right? Guess what Mr. Grumpy Hero did?" He asked rhetorically.

Hunter shrugged urging him on. Lycian laughed placing both hands on Zero's shoulders while standing behind him so he couldn't attack him. "_Kiriyuu-kun_ picked you up, hauled you onto the spare horse with him and rode back to the academy!" the werewolf said with mirth as if he never thought the prefect would ever do something like that.

Zero stood tense almost embarrassed by what was being said. He acted on pure instinct; there was nothing special about his actions. Had he not done what he had she would have died and he would be the one to blame. His actions were more selfish than special.

"And then!" Lycian exclaimed interrupting Zero's thoughts, pausing for a dramatic effect. "The horse's hooves thundered against the cobblestone as the gallant Knight Zero of Cross Academy rode into his castle's front courtyard, urging his noble steed to gallop faster so that his beloved princess could be treated for her injuries, so that way they may live happily ever after!" he narrated using hand gestures and staying clear from Zero's reach.

Hunter stared at the two confused. Gallant knight? Zero? Who was he kidding? She was betting that the farmer told him to haul her up on the horse and ride to get help.

"Except that the noble steed was just a common chestnut mare and the gallant knight turned out to be just a random guy with horrible anger issues and behind them the not-so attractive old farmer followed. No squires. Oh and there was no castle except the academy but Hunter is a real princess and she was injured so at least that's true…." Lycian continued to ramble amused. "Anyway, how did you manage escape from him in the first place?" He asked jerking his thumb towards the silver-haired prefect beside him before he noticed the glare of a thousand deaths coming from Zero and being directed straight at him.

Both Hunter and Zero tensed at the mention of "how" she managed to get away from him. The slightly-too-lustful kiss played in both of their minds.

"Well?" Lycian asked turning to Zero to notice a murderous aura emitting from the vampire. "Ha-ha…I'll go tell the Chairman Hunter's awake or there really won't be a happily ever after…" he said nervously and quickly left the room.

With Lycian gone silence took over the room. "Is it true?" Hunter asked picking at her blanket with one hand, unable to look up at Zero. Too bad she didn't lose more of her memories…

"What do you think?" He countered, his gaze subconsciously lingering on her lips unable to meet her eyes.

"Since you hate me I figured the farmer made you do it," she replied bluntly still not looking up at him.

Her words struck a chord deep inside him. So he didn't do it as glamorously and fairy-tale like as Lycian described it. So maybe he nearly dropped her several times running up the stairs. But that didn't mean he didn't do it on his own accord. No one told him to save her yet he did.

"I never said I hated you," his replied, his voice ice cold. If it wasn't for his tone she might have believed him for a second.

"No, but everything from that stray hair on the top of your head to the tip of your shoe tells me you do." She rolled over onto her wounded arm, hiding her agony behind a mask of irritation.

Zero gave her a blank stare. "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to go out so bad in the first place?"

Hunter rolled her eyes. "Maybe I just wanted to have some fun? Maybe I didn't ask because I didn't want your shitty attitude to spoil my walk? Did that ever cross your mind? Besides, you never let me go out anyway," She just woke up and she was still a little cranky. Being wounded didn't help either.

"Yeah, and you got shot. How does that work out in the end, hm?" he countered with just as much annoyance in his voice as her.

"Well sooorrryyy. Did you come here just to patronize me?" she asked glaring at him from the bed. "If that's the case then go whine about it in your little angry diary or something because I don't care what you have to say."

Before Zero could retort the door opened. "Hunter-chan! You're finally awake!" Chairman Cross beamed walking into the room.

"Morning Chairman," Hunter said dully with a fake smile.

"It's actually evening…" Cross replied with a small chuckle.

Hunter shrugged. "To me it's morning," she said.

"So how are you feeling?" Cross asked warmly sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Like shit," Hunter replied bluntly.

"Well then…" Kaien trailed off, he had yet to get used to her foul tongue. "Hn, that's interesting…" he said as he noticed her eyes and mark. Lifting her chin he tilted her head to the side to get a better look at the tribal marks that looked like a tattoo. He let go of her chin and undressed her wound to clean it. Feeling Zero tense behind him he turned to the prefect who stood impatiently behind him.

"Kiriyuu-kun, prepare Hunter-chan a bath, I'm sure she'd like to take one after all this," Chairman Cross instructed to give him something to do – and to get him out of the room while he cleaned and inspected Hunter's wound. Cross didn't want to take any bets on how hungry the vampire was…

The vampire grunted in annoyance and shut the door behind him a little too hard.

Hunter flinched but continued to stare blankly at the plain covers of her bed as Chairman Cross cut away the dead gray skin from the bullet wound in her shoulder. "Don't mind him, he's just worried," he said referring to Zero's behavior.

Hunter sighed. Zero wasn't worried. He was pissed off at her. Again.

* * * * * * * * *

When Cross finished cleaning and dressing Hunter's wound she was sent off to take a bath. Following Zero in awkward silence she carried a change of clothes in her good arm while her wounded one was resting in a sling. She only chose a tank top, panties and a pair of shorts to change into because there was no way she was going to be able to put on a bra herself and she had no intentions of asking Zero to help her get dressed. There was no need for more awkwardness.

Zero opened the bathroom door for her like a gentleman though Hunter was well aware he wasn't anything of the sort. "Old man told me to wait outside in case you need help so don't take too long," Zero said dully with a hint of irritation and closed the door behind her.

_Ass…_Hunter thought annoyed_. At least he could be nicer, bastard_….she ranted mentally. She dipped her good hand in the water to check how hot it was and lifted some bubbles to see what scent the prefect was making her bathe in.

"Huh, honeysuckle and nectar, my favorite," she muttered amused. He either had good memory of how she smelled or he dumped in the first thing he found. She'd bet money on the latter.

With a sigh, Hunter began undressing. She slid her wounded arm out of the sling, flinching at the quick joilt of knife-sharp pain that darted through her shoulder as she did so. When the pain subsided she slowly slid out of her clothes. Next was the underwear. The panties didn't seem challenging but the bra did. She stood in the bathroom pondering how to take it off with one arm. She tried to unhook it in the back with her good arm but the movement caused pain in her wounded shoulder and the hooks didn't give. "Fucking hell..." she growled. There were only two options for her. Keep trying to unhook the bra with one arm or to give in and ask for help. At this rate, she figured the water would get cold before she got the damn thing off. Hunter made a sound of annoyance then called out. "Zero! I need help!"

The door opened several seconds later. "With what?" Zero asked walking in, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was in her underwear. Or maybe he just didn't care.

"Unhook my bra, I can't get it off..." Hunter said unpertrubed by his presence. Wouldn't be the first time he's seen her half naked, no reason to care now. Besides, if she was correct, to him she was more of an "it" rather than a "she."

"Turn around," he said and walked up to her. Hunter did as he told her to. Zero unhooked her bra quickly and with ease.

"Can you slide the straps off too?" she asked finding it best to get it over with as quickly as possible.

Without a word, Zero's fingers gently brushed against her skin, removing the straps from her shoulders. As he did so the door suddenly burst open. "I knew it!" Lycian yelled waltzing in, his outburst startling Hunter.

"Ack!" she yelled in surprise letting the bra fall to the floor. Realizing her chest was exposed she grabbed Zero and hid behind him. "Get out!" she yelled at the werewolf.

"What the hell is he doing here then? He's a guy too!" Lycian retorted.

"Get out you pervert!" Hunter yelled again pressing herself closer to Zero's back to hide her body while poking her head out from behind him.

"Ah, whatever," Zero said brushing her off and walking off. "C'mon, let her be," he said nonchalantly.

"Eeek!" Hunter shreiked and grabbed a towel. "Get out! Out! OUT!" she yelled pushing Lycian out the door. When she finally shoved him out into the hallway she slammed the door in his face. "Asshole! Learn some manners!" she cursed from the other side then proceeded taking off her underwear before sliding into the tub.

On the other side of the door Lycian looked at Zero astonished, who in turn was calmly leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. "What's with you two? You say you don't like each other but have no problem being naked together!" He said pointing an accusing finger at the prefect.

"We weren't naked together," Zero replied unpertrubed. "Besides, I already told you I don't like that _thing_," he added jerking his thumb towards the bathroom.

"Then does she like you? She has no problem with you seeing her naked!" the werewolf argued.

Zero shrugged. "Don't ask me."

* * * * * * * *

Bathed and fed Hunter sat on her bed. It was already dark and Zero, done with his prefect duties, sat in his usual place across the room from her. Silent and unmoving, like always.

"Oi, Zero, did you find out anything about the werewolf thing?" she asked tentatively.

"No," he replied in his usual monotone. "Go to sleep already," he added with a small groan.

Hunter furrowed her brows in disappointement and her lips formed a small pout. "How can I? I slept for how long?" she countered with a slight childish whine.

"Don't you animals sleep twelve hours or more a day?" He asked stretching.

She watched how his back arched as he stretched his arms, how his hair fell down his face, glistening snow white under the silver moon....

"Tch, bastard, I'm not an animal...." she growled catching his insult after a moment. _That was bad..._she thought embarrassed that she was staring at him.

"You have a tail, fangs, claws, and you howl at the moon...not to mention you also eat like an animal," he said recalling the unsightly scene from earlier as she devoured steaks not using any utensils...

"Pfff....and you're any better? You're like a fucking mosquito going around sucking people's blood. Ne, do you transfer the West Nile virus too?" She retorted with as much venom in her voice as she could muster.

"Tch," was all that came from Zero as he did not like being reminded of his true nature. He hated himself for it and he hated having to drink blood too. "Whatever, go to bed already," he said getting up from his seat.

"I AM in BED," Hunter said stating the obvious.

"Then do what you're supposed to do when you're in bed - SLEEP," he replied annoyed.

"You can do other things in bed...like have SEX..." Hunter chimed in mischievously, knowing it'd strike a chord. The guy was ridiculously conservative.

"If you don't behave like a good little puppy tonight I won't go easy on you just because you're wounded," he added with every word carrying its own threat.

"Good, 'cause I like it rough," Hunter said with a wink.

Zero's eyes slightly widened at the bold remark. "Go to sleep," he said and turned on his heel walking out of her room. "Stupid dog..." he muttered to himself glad that the hallway was dark to hide the redness on his cheeks.

* * * * * * * *

Chairman Cross stood in his office facing the window overlooking the front courtyard of his academy. "Did you find anything?" He asked the two vampires behind him.

"All we found were animal carcases..." Kain said his voice slightly trailing off. He was disappointed in their lack of findings.

"We searched the woods with a two mile radius from the farmer's ranch and there was no indication of a werewolf, just dead sheep," Aido added.

Cross sighed. This situation was proving more difficult than he initially anticipated. There's a dangerous werewolf on the loose and they can't find it. It may be only targeting livestock at the moment but when all the sheep are gone it might target humans. For the sake of his students and everyone else they have to apprehend this animal.

"Alright, thanks for your work boys. I'll send Lycian-san and Kiriyuu-kun to scout later..." Cross said dismissing the two.


	23. I Dare You

**Author's Note: Ah so turns out I can actually type with the brace on....or off....it's itchy so I keep taking it off, heh. You guys have no idea how much I missed writing this. As always, thanks for the reviews and support. **

**Oh yeah, Haimaru - don't worry about sounding like a know-it-all in the last review. When I read it my reaction was "Damn....I really need to fix that perfect/prefect thing..." and "huh....that's a good point," on the last name/first name thing. And the Twilight thing - when I saw the book at my friend's house (she's obsessed with Twilight) I picked it up, flipped through it and went "that's way too long," and gave up on the idea of reading Twilight....**

**I really have to fix that perfect/prefect thing though. It's bothering me too. But fixing it means re-reading the whole story and looking for the mistakes then marking it down and then going back to the story on my computer and looking for them all over again...and re-uploading the chapters...I'd rather write the next chapter...hehe....**

**Also, I won't get "offended" by criticism so if I mess up anyone should feel free to point it out. Pointing out my mistakes tends to make the story better.....**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-Chapter 23: I Dare You-**

_"How dare you say that my behavior is unacceptable,_

_So condenscending unnecessarily critical, _

_I have the tendency of getting very physical, _

_So watch your step cause if I do you'll need a miracle..."_

- Harder to Breathe by Maroon 5

_She stood before him, her pale skin glowing under the moonlight, her hair a black waterfall cascading down her bare shoulders. In the darkness he could feel the small cocky smile gracing her lips, taunting him. She walked up to him, her steps smooth and inaudible even to his sensitive ears. Barely a foot from him now, she reached up to her neck and with a long fingernail cut the skin. The crimson blood then came dripping down her neck, over her collarbone, and between her supple breasts. He gulped as the thirst burned in his throat. She pressed against him tightly and yanked on his tie, pulling his head down towards her neck. "I dare you..." she whispered into his ear, the scent of her blood so strong he felt dizzy._

With a jolt Zero sat up awake in his bed. Small sweat beads slid down his pale skin as he tried to calm his breathing. Throat still parched, he ran his fingers through his hair haphazardly and got off the bed. He made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a glass, filling it up with lukewarm tap water then gulped it all down. He sat the glass down in the sink to fill it up again and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. The vivid dream replayed in his mind. It seemed ridiculously real. But why _her_? _"I dare you..."_ her words whispered in his mind again. What the hell was that?

-Three Days Later-

Sun filtered in through the curtains as Hunter read the nth page in her textbook that Zero ordered her to "study." She was exhausted because as usual her nightmares of the fire haunted her and the bastard always woke her up when he came to pick up her homework. Her eyes, aside from the bags underneath them, and mark returned to normal and her wound was almost completely healed but she still missed a lot of school. Because of that, the forever grumpy prefect was put in charge of tutoring her so she's kept up to speed with her studies. The guy never took notes in class nor paid attention to begin with. He rarely showed up too and if he did, he spent the entire class sleeping. Yet he had the audacity to tell her what she needs to study when he never did it himself. _Bastard..._she thought angrily, staring at the crisp pages of her textbook that she opened for the first time since the start of the semester...

The door to her room swung open, revealing the one and only Kiriyuu Zero. _Speak of the devil and he shows..._Hunter thought bitterly as she looked at him through her long fringe that was in a bad need of a trim.

"Here's today's homework," he threw a stack of papers on her bed as he loosened his tie. "It's due tomorrow, so put it on the nightstand when you're done and I'll pick it up in the morning," he said without a single glance at her.

"Alright," she replied. With that the prefect left without another word.

Hunter sighed. Zero's been avoiding her like the plague only showing up to deliver assignments from the teachers. She sniffed her armpits. "I don't smell....I've been bathing..." she thought aloud trying to figure out what sent him running away from her. Or maybe he was still mad about the comments she made several days ago about liking it rough? "Ah, who knows?" she shrugged and picked up the assignments. She didn't care as long as he still cooked for her, even if he had Lycian deliver the food.

Lifting the first sheet she noted it was math. How lame. She hated math. She hated numbers. Especially the number _zero_. For obvious reasons too. She picked up her chewed up number two pencil and resumed gnawing on it as she thought over the problems listed on the sheet, relatively quickly computing them in her head. After all, she wasn't stupid - just lazy.

The math sheet didn't have that many problems so it wasn't long before she moved onto the next assignment - chemistry. She hated that even more than math. "Equilibrium constants? What the fuck is that?" her brows scrunched together in confusion. Not understanding the assignment she turned to one of her textbooks that were piled beside her bed. Flipping through the chemistry book she found nothing on equilibrium constants. She threw the book on the floor and read over the worksheet again. The first page explained different kinds of constants and on the back there were a bunch of word problems to solve the different types of constants. "That shit is like college level!" she ranted frustrated. "Fuck it, I'm not doing it," she decided. On the assignment she wrote the teacher a note saying, _'I'm too retarded to understand this chemical ratshit,'_ and at the very bottom she added, _'P.S. Don't assign shit that's not even in the book,_' before she set it down on the finished pile. She wasn't stupid, but she wasn't a genius either.

Afterwards, she had several short assignments from Ethics and Writing. When she was finishing up her writing assignment about her favorite Christmas memory the door to her room opened once more. "Don't you know how to knock?" She asked irritated thinking it was Lycian delivering her steak.

"Why Hunter! How rude!" Sister Katherine exclaimed from the door with mock anger. Hunter looked up at her startled. "Darling! It's so good to see you so well and _STUDYING_!" Sister Katherine gushed as she ran up to the girl's bed. "Ah, but your hair is such a mess! Just look at that overgrown fringe and those un-brushed locks sticking out at odd angles! That's so not lady-like!" The nun fussed over her like a mother would trying to rearrange her messy hair.

"Alright, alright! What are you doing here?!" Hunter demanded pushing the woman's hands from her hair. There was no need to fix it if she wasn't going out.

"What do you mean what I'm doing here? I heard about what happened so I came here as soon as I could!" Sister Katherine replied with slight disbelief.

Hunter narrowed her eyes at the nun dully, feeling slightly bitter. So she has to get shot to get a visit from her?

"Aw, what happened to my cute little troublemaker?" Katherine asked pinching Hunter's cheeks. "You've gotten grumpy like that what's-his-face? You know, Kaien's boy...oh that child always looks so angry..." she ranted, her words striking a nerve.

"Don't group me with someone like him," Hunter said coolly, wiping the pencil on her bed sheet before putting it on the nightstand with the finished assignments.

"Ha, I take it you two don't get along then, huh?" Sister Katherine asked mischievously.

Hunter shrugged. If she only knew what went on....if only. The woman beside her didn't even look like a nun in her casual clothes and she sure as hell didn't act like one either. She knew she should be happy to see the woman who raised her but for some reason she wasn't in a cheery mood at the moment.

"So how have you been?" Katherine asked with a small smile. To her, Hunter was very much like her own daughter.

"Just peachy," Hunter replied with a hint of sarcasm. Katherine laughed at her remark.

The two continued to chat about little things, nothing too deep for there was no need for it. However, one thing has been bothering Hunter for months now and she wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"Sister Katherine, why haven't I been able to talk to Michelle?" she asked tentatively and as casually as she possibly could. In reality she was scared to ask and to hide her nervousness she picked at her bed sheet. For some reason she's been doing this a lot lately and at this rate she'd probably pick a hole in the thing.

The nun tensed at the question. Her eyes immediately left Hunter's face as if she was looking away in shame. "Ah, well....I've been meaning to tell you this for a while but....for some reason I could never bring myself to it..." Katherine replied quietly, the wheels of her mind spinning as she tried to think of what to say next.

"Tell me what?" Hunter asked thinking that Michelle might have gotten adopted or something along those lines.

Katherine sighed heavily. "The truth is...." she paused to collect her thoughts."The truth is Michelle didn't survive the fire..." she finally said, the words dropping on Hunter like a hydrogen bomb.

And just like that her world shattered into a million pieces.

However, Hunter was never the one to break down crying even at news such as these. "Ah, that explains everything..." she said solemnly. All those nightmares were true then. They were her missing memories.

"Hunter...I'm sorry for not telling you earlier but you were doing so well I didn't want to ruin it, you know?" Sister Katherine pleaded.

Hunter flashed her a small rueful smile. "I'm fine, don't worry about it. I kind of figured it out because if she was alive she'd be kicking down the doors to the academy to stay with me..." she lied. She never figured it out. She always thought that Michelle either got adopted, or like her, was staying at another academy and couldn't get in touch.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Katherine asked carefully.

"Yeah," Hunter nodded offering another smile that didn't meet her eyes. _I'm just fucking peachy, I only want to strangle everyone who knew and kept it from me_, she thought bitterly in her head. _It's my fucking best friend we're talking about here! Compassionate much? Huh?_ She ranted mentally. But she wasn't going to break down in front of Katherine - not anyone. "I kind of remember the fire so it's okay, I was just afraid to ask," she added yet another lie just to comfort the nun.

In truth, Hunter was more angry than grieved. She was infuriated that everyone kept this a secret from her - even Chairman Cross. She doubted that Zero and the rest knew, they all seemed clueless, but she was dead sure that Chairman Cross knew about it all along.

The door then burst open loudly and another person came flying in. "HUUNTTEERRR!!!!" The person yelled.

"Tony?" Hunter asked looking up confused, all thoughts of murder erased from her mind.

"I missed you so much - WAAAH! Oh my GOD your hair looks like road kill!" Tony exclaimed as he skidded to a sudden stop.

An angry tick appeared on Hunter's face and new murderous thoughts bloomed in her mind. "What the fuck did you say porcupine head?!" she retorted referring to his attempt at a j-rock do that in fact, did make him look like a porcupine.

"My hair does not look like a porcupine!" He exclaimed cocking his hip and gesturing with his index finger.

_Still gay as ever..._Hunter thought slightly amused by his eccentric behavior. "What is he doing here?" she asked turning to Sister Katherine. Tony was her childhood friend just like Michelle and her former dance partner. He came to the orphanage when he was five years old after his mother committed suicide. He and Hunter bonded due to their similar looks - both were always pale with black hair and cerulean eyes. Everyone always joked that they were siblings as well. The day of the fire he was meeting a potential foster family so he wasn't there when it happened.

The nun slightly tensed at the question though there was obvious relief on her face that Hunter wasn't hanging on to the topic about Michelle. She smirked, "he wanted to see you so bad he tried hiding in my suitcase, then he hid in the trunk and I didn't notice him till we got to the train station so in the end I ended up taking him with me," she said with mock annoyance.

"You make it sound like I'm some heavy burden, that's so mean," Tony whined as he walked up them to take a seat at the foot of Hunter's bed. "Ah, that hair of yours is really bothering me...." he whined, itching to fix the mess that was supposed to be Hunter's hair.

"Touch me and you'll die," Hunter threatened playfully. She really wanted to kill someone though. She was still pissed off that her friend's death was kept from her. That she was lied to. A part of her wanted to hide under the blankets and cry her eyes out but the mix of anger and sadness overwhelmed her into a very strange numb state.

Sister Katherine laughed nervously. "Well, kids, I'll let you two catch up, I still have some things to talk about with Chairman Cross. Oh, and Tony? Please behave," she said and then left after bidding a quick goodbye to Hunter.

"Finally!" Tony exclaimed glad that Sister Katherine left. He crawled up closer to Hunter motioning for her to scoot over so he could sprawl next to her.

Hunter laughed and cuddled up next to her old friend. It's been so long since she's been able to relax with someone. Zero was always cold and mean and Lycian was too perverted. He'd always take the slightest things the wrong way. And as far as it went for Kain and Hanabusa - well it'd be awkward. Oh, and Zero would probably shit a brick if he saw her snuggling up to the vampires.

"So....I really, really, want to fix your hair..." Tony said petting her head.

"No," Hunter replied flatly. She wanted to relax, not groom.

"Pllleeaasseee....pretty please??" he begged. His passion was hairstyling so seeing a mess like that bothered him.

"No," she replied again burying her face in his side. She was dead tired. "By the way, whatever happened to you getting adopted?" She asked wondering why he was still around and not with a family.

"Ah, that....well I went to that dinner with the potential family and the dad was like 'so boy you like any sports?' in this really deep gruff voice and I was like 'oh no, I don't like sports at all,' and he looked at me all weird, like he gave me the stink eye," Tony said immitating the potential foster father's voice.

"And then like, he asked me 'so what are you into?' and I told him hairstyling and he choked on his chicken cordon bleu that tasted like shit anyway and then he asked me if I was gay so I told him I was as gay as a rainbow fruit cake and he nearly shit himself...so I didn't get adopted," he explained while using hand gestures that annoyed Hunter.

"So how have you been? Staying here at this fancy ass academy..." Tony started again wanting to catch up with his old friend who was like a twin sister to him.

"Absolutely nothing," she replied. Aside from finding out she's some fucked up crossbred demigod wolf thing, getting shot and living with vampires, she really has done absolutely nothing.

"Oh really? No cute boyfriend? No crushes? Nothing?" he pressed wanting to get some dirt out of her.

"No," she mumbled. Who could she possibly crush on at this psycho academy? One of the vampires? Yeah, right...

"Aw, that's just too bad. I'd say you're just too lazy. Or are the boys here not that cute? This place is sooo freaking big though! I was following that old ass nun earlier and got lost...hence why I came in late....everything looks the same!" Tony chuckled.

Hunter mumbled a "mhm" into his side and fell silent.

After a minute of silence Tony realized Hunter was falling asleep. All she did at the orphanage was sleep. "Like hell I'm letting you sleep!" He declared straddling her.

"Shut up, I'm tired," she whined covering her eyes. She was tired and still trying to figure out how to deal with Michelle's death. For some reason she felt as if it should affect her more but it didn't. She just wanted to sleep.

"Make me," he taunted before attacking her in all her ticklish spots.

Hunter burst out laughing as Tony tickled her. "Ha-ha-ha....I give! I give! Please stop! It hurts!!!!" she begged with tears of laughter streaming down her face. "Pleeeasssee stoooppp!!!! Hahaha!!! Pleaassee! WAAAHHH!!!" she was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe anymore.

"Hunter! What's wrong?!" Lycian suddenly called out as he nearly kicked open the door to her room.

Hearing Lycian's voice, Tony stopped tickling Hunter and looked over his shoulder at the Italian. "What does it look like biatch?" He asked seductively putting his index finger in his mouth. Underneath him Hunter continued to giggle as she tried to catch her breath.

"Who are you?" Lycian demanded confused as to why was this strange looking guy in Hunter's room sitting on top of her.

"I'm a P.I.M.P. hoe, and I'm having some fun with my bitch, got a problem with it?" Tony said sounding like Seth Green as James St. James in _Party Monster_.

At that Hunter burst out laughing again. "C'mon get off me, you're fucking heavy," she said shoving Tony off her while Lycian stood there dumbstruck.

"Oh how dare you tell me I'm heavy! Do you have ANY IDEA how much I starved myself to get this sexy body?!" Tony exploded like a high school girl that was just told she was fat.

Hunter laughed again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you're a sexy biatch..." she said trying her hardest not to laugh.

"Damn straight," Tony said and roughly grabbed her head pulling it towards him to plant a kiss on her lips.

At that Lycian's jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

"What's going on here?" Zero asked annoyed as he walked in. He was trying to take a nap before his prefect duties but they all made too much racket. When he looked up he noticed Lycian with his mouth agape frozen in place. Not knowing what had him shocked dead still and silent, he looked over at Hunter and Tony, noticing for the first time that they were kissing. What was worse is that they looked like they'd be siblings. _That's sick_, he thought disgusted.

"Mwuah!" Tony pulled away from Hunter and laughed as she wiped her lips slightly disgusted.

"Will ya quit doing that? You nearly busted my lip you asshole," She complained. "Oh Zero," she said looking genuinely surprised to see the prefect standing dumbstruck in her doorway next to Lycian. Too bad she didn't have a camera to take a picture of their faces....

"Oh my GAWD!" Tony exclaimed when he saw Zero.

"What?" Hunter asked confused.

"I seriously thought there were no cute boys here at this school..." he mumbled awe struck."Ne, is that bishie yours?" he asked nudging Hunter.

"No?" She replied unsure why would Zero be hers in the first place.

"Score!" Tony cheered with heart shaped eyes and ran up to Zero. "So your name's Zero, right? I'm Tony!" He said as he pranced around him like a little Chihuahua. "O-EM-GEE his hair is so PERFECT! So siiilllkkyyyy....Kyaaa! I struck gold!" Tony squealed like a high school girl, which is something that never failed to irritate Zero.

"Hunter, what is _this thing_?" He asked as he pushed Tony away an arms length.

"That _thing_ would be my friend," she replied amused. It was almost like payback for all the times he pissed her off.

"Kyaa!! You're so hawtt! That angry yet lonely aura is sooo sexyyy!!!! I just want to hug youuuu!!!" Tony raved on even though Zero kept on shoving him away.

"Make _it_ stop," Zero said giving Hunter the coldest and most threatening of looks.

Hunter laughed and shook her head no. This was too funny.

Zero kept on pushing Tony away, wondering if this was some sick joke. The guy looked like Hunter but wasn't she an orphan? She did say he was her friend so did all Finns look the same or something? Lost in thought, he didn't notice he left a small opening in his defense and in the blink of an eye Tony was embracing him tightly. He looked down at the shorter guy menacingly.

"Oh Zerooo...if you keep looking at me like that you'll only make me _hard_!!! You're so sexy! I want bear your children!" Tony declared wiggling his butt.

Zero's face paled and by then Hunter was laughing so hard she was crying.

"Let's get married!" Tony added on pressing harder against Zero.

At that moment Zero lost it and kicked Tony away from him. "Don't mess with me!" He yelled infuriated and disgusted at the same time.

Tony moaned and got on all fours, arching his back seductively. "Auh, so brutal, I LOVE IT!" he said blushing.

A cold shudder went down Zero's spine. What was with that guy? At the same moment Lycian fell to the floor with a loud thud.

"Dude, did he faint?" Hunter asked from the bed not knowing whether she should laugh or run to help him.

Zero looked down at Lycian briefly before remembering Tony, who in turn was waiting for a chance to pounce at him. Hunter got off her bed and kicked Lycian in the shoulder. "Dude, he really fainted..." she said slightly amused.

The prefect grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. "Make that _thing_ stop!" he threatened her in a harsh whisper while eyeing Tony warily.

Hunter grinned mischievously. "Hooo, why should I?" She asked feeling evil.

His grip tightened on her arm. He was starting to feel desperate. This was the first time something like this happened. Girls didn't even act like that. "Fine, I'll make you an extra delicious fillet mignon if you make that thing stop," he bargained. There was nothing else he could think of.

"Alright..." Hunter agreed. Zero's steaks were always delicious so she was curious as to how more delicious they could get. She looked over her shoulder at Tony who was still staring love struck at Zero with heart shaped eyes. "Hey, Tony..." she called out to her male look-alike.

"Yesss???" He asked as his buttery eyes refocused on her.

"I just decided that I want him. He's mine. So back off, alright?" She declared. Her words startled them.

"Oh you're so EVIL! First you said you didn't want him and now you're claiming him? You evil, EVIL, wench!" He exclaimed cocking his hip once more, the motion disturbing Zero even further. "Ah, but it's not mutual, right?" He asked with an evil grin as if a light bulb just went off in his head.

Before Hunter could come up with a witty comeback Zero put his arm around her, pulling her even closer against him. "It's mutual...." he said trying his best to fake interest in Hunter as he played with a lock of her "road kill" hair.

Hunter tensed. She wasn't expecting him to play along like this. _Ha, talk about being desperate_…she laughed in her mind. "See? It's mutual," she said and leaned against the prefect to emphasize the point that he wasn't available. Though the only reason she was doing this was because the compensation was extra-delicious steaks.

"Hmph! Fine then, I'll steal him from you! Our friendship is over! My love shall prevail!" Tony exclaimed hell bent on making Zero his.

Hunter shrugged. "It's on," she smirked.

* * * * * * * *

"Why is he still following us?" Zero asked quietly irritated as they made their way to the kitchen. He was feeling uncomfortable having to walk this close to Hunter.

"Because you're his _prince_," Hunter teased. She didn't really care that Tony was following them and trying to burn holes in the back of her head with his death glares. They've fought over a guy before so this was nothing new. All she wanted right now was the compensation.

They turned another corner and if Zero thought his day was going bad, it just got worse. A little further down the hallway, Kuran Kaname, in all his glory, was leaving the Chairman's office.

The pureblood noticed the trio and smirked. "I see you have acquired another pet, Kiriyuu-kun," Kaname said in his usual demeaning way.

Tony pulled Hunter back. "Who is this guy?" He whispered in her ear. _So much for not being friends_...

"Kaname, he's the Night Dorm president or something weird like that, why?" She replied quietly.

"He's creepy," Tony squeaked hiding behind her as he eyed the pureblood warily.

"What makes you think that?" Hunter asked though she also found Kaname creepy in a certain way.

"His _hair_…." Tony whispered so quietly she barely caught it. "It makes him look _homeless_..." he added.

At that Hunter snorted with laughter and choked trying to contain it. Both Zero and Kaname looked at her suspiciously. "Are you okay?" Zero asked turning to her, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Y-yeah…" she stuttered trying not to laugh.

"I see the inbred runt is still insolent as ever…" Kaname commented looking down on her.

"Hey! Who the fuck you calling an inbred runt!?!" Hunter snarled. She didn't give a rat's ass that he was a pureblood. He had no right to insult her. "Huh?! Bitch! I'll file your fucking fangs!" She yelled enraged and lunged at Kaname only to be caught by Zero.

"God damn it let me go! I'll kill him!" She yelled trying to swipe at Kaname but Zero held on to her tightly.

"How unsightly," Kaname said in a disgusted tone. "Well then, I'll be taking my leave. Don't forget your duties, Kiriyuu-kun."

Kaname turned on his heel and walked away calmly while Hunter fumed like a rabid dog in Zero's grasp, uttering curses he's never even heard of. While the idea of Kaname getting killed did sound good to him, he still couldn't allow Hunter to get hurt. He doubted that she was strong enough to take on the pureblood.

"Hunter, calm down…" Zero said trying to calm the infuriated wolf. Unfortunately Hunter had no intentions of relinquishing her desire to kill Kaname for insulting her. She continued to struggle muttering curses and insults at the pureblood. Zero tightened his arms around her waist. "If you don't calm down you won't get the steaks…" he threatened her with a small growl carrying in his voice.

At the notion of 'no steak' Hunter instantly froze. Steaks were her top priority. "Alright, I'll kill him later," she replied giving in.

"No, you're not going to kill him later," the vampire argued.

"B-b-but - fine..." she grumbled annoyed.

Then they remembered Tony. When Zero turned around to see if he was still around, the love-crazed teen suddenly lunged at him. "Hold me too! Hold me too!!" he yelled as he wrapped his arms around the prefect's neck tightly.

"Get off me!" Zero yelled throwing him off. "I told you I'm not interested!"

"My love shall prevail!" Tony countered from the ground with a bloodied nose.

* * * * * * * *

-An Hour Later-

Hunter sat on the cold rooftop of the academy. With winter's short daylight, the darkness had already engulfed the earth and the stars shone brightly on the dark velvet canvas. Though well fed she didn't feel the usual happiness she normally felt after a delicious meal. Surprisingly Zero's steaks did turn out better than usual. He really was desperate to get away from Tony. It humored her in a way.

Having finally some time alone she pondered over Michelle's death. Memories of the auburn haired girl played in her mind. All the fun times they shared together. Holidays, birthdays, and more. She even recalled the time when Tony showed up at the orphanage and Michelle came dragging him saying "I found your little brother!"

Then the memory of the fire. The warm liquid that she felt on her face then must have been Michelle's blood. The scream echoed in her mind. Not only was she there when her friend died but she also heard her friend die.

She suddenly choked up and a sob shook her body. Small tears ran down her cheeks, glistening under the moonlight. Michelle died trying to save her. It would have been better if she just left her there. Not like she would have died considering what she _is_.

The door that allowed access to the rooftop creaked on its hinges. "What are you doing here?" Zero asked as he walked over to her. He spent some time looking for her thinking she might have run off somewhere again.

Hunter quickly wiped the tears off.

"Are you crying?" He asked perplexed.

"No," she replied defiantly. There was no way she would let him see her like that. He'd only pick on her for it. Tell her she's annoying or something.

Zero sat down next to her. "How did you get up here?" He asked forgetting about the possibility of her crying earlier.

Hunter jerked her thumb towards the door. "Stairs, duh," she replied nonchalantly. She kicked all her memories of Michelle into her mental closet and shut the door tightly. No one needed to see the mess she really was.

He looked at her oddly. "What?" She asked feeling uneasy.

"You have some steak sauce on your face," he replied wiping her face with his thumb.

Hunter blushed embarrassed. "I could've gotten it myself, you know..." she grumbled looking away.

Zero didn't say anything just looked ahead. "When is that _thing_ leaving?" He asked referring to Tony.

"Probably tonight, why? Can't handle his love for you?" she teased forgetting her embarrassment. She really was getting a kick out of Tony's sudden obsession for Zero. Too bad she also had to deal with Michelle's death at a time like this.

Zero groaned. He really was weirded out by Tony. What the guy was doing was ten times worse than what the Day girls did to the Night Class. He would really like to see Tony gone. If Tony was a vampire, he would have killed him already. For what? Sexual harassment and for being a nuisance.

_"Beauty queen of only eighteen, _

_He had some trouble with himself, _

_He was always there to help him, _

_He always belonged to someone elseeee...."_ Came Tony's voice singing from the ground an altered version of _She Will Be Loved_ by Maroon 5.

Hunter and Zero looked over the edge to see what that idiot was doing this time.

_"I drove for miles and miles, _

_And wound up at your dooooor! _

_I've had you so many times but somehow I want moooreee!!!!"_ Tony sang as he was down on one knee in the snow serenading his crush.

Zero shuddered. "What's with this guy?" He asked feeling prickly. Hunter chuckled amused.

_"I don't mind spending every day, _

_Out on your corner in the pouring rain, _

_Look for the guy with the broken smile, _

_Ask him if he wants to stay a while, _

_And he wiiillll be loooooved, _

_He wiiiiilll be loooooved...."_ He sang on, now on his feet giving a performance. The lyrics made Zero feel as if he was going to break out in hives any second.

By then Hunter was laughing. "Ha-ha it's so funny! That song actually fits!!!!" She laughed. "He really wants you," she added wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. "But his singing is so bad..." she chuckled.

"Is he always this annoying?" He asked feeling disgusted with the sight below.

"No, he's only like this when he has a crush," she replied calmly as if it was no big deal.

Zero couldn't take it anymore. Not only was Tony's singing bad, it was annoying. Why did it have to be him? Out of all people? Why couldn't have the guy picked someone from the Night Class to fawn over? He looked around desperately and when his eyes fell on the chimney he picked up a small piece of the chipped brick and aimed at Tony. If only the guy stopped moving it'd be great.

Noticing what Zero was about to do Hunter decided to help him out. "Hey Tony!" she called out to him.

Tony stopped singing. "What!?! How dare you disturb my serenade to my beloved!" He yelled from the ground with his hands on his hips. "Don't interrupt me!" He added before he resumed singing.

At the same time Zero took the chance and threw the chipped brick at Tony.

"_I want to make you feel beautiful_ - AAAAHHH!!!" Tony screamed when the chipped brick hit him square in the forehead. Blood trickled down his nose. "Hunter! I know that was you!" He yelled pulling out the brick from his forehead to reveal a Harry Potter scar.

"Nice aim," Hunter commented to the disgusted prefect.

Zero groaned. "I'm going inside," he said and left.

"You spoiled my performance!!!" Tony continued to rant from the ground. "And you RUINED MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!"

"It was ugly to begin with!" Hunter retorted from the roof, her words infuriating Tony.

* * * * * * * *

-Earlier With Lycian-

"Hey, Lycian...." Aido called out to the unconscious werewolf on the floor.

Lycian slowly opened his eyes. Aido and Akatsuki were hovering above him, giving him weird looks. "Hanabusa? Kain?" he asked unsure if it was really them he was seeing. After witnessing something so traumatizing earlier he wanted to make sure it was them and not _him_.

"Get up, Chairman Cross wants you to come with us to search for that werewolf again," Kain said ignoring Lycian's disorientation.

"A-alright," he grunted and got off the floor still slightly feeling out of it.

"Are you okay?" Aido asked looking at the werewolf concerned.

"Y-yeah," Lycian replied wondering if what happened earlier was his imagination or if it really happened.

* * * * * * * *

-Back to Present Time-

Finally some peace and quiet. Or so he hoped. Zero's serenity was shattered within seconds when Tony came running after Hunter screaming out insults at her for calling him ugly. _It never ends_....he sighed mentally. Aggravated, he got off his bed and made his way to Hunter's room. At least Lycian was nowhere to be found. After they left him passed out on the floor someone either found him or he came to and left. Regardless of what the werewolf was up to, it was one less nuisance for him.

"Will you shut up already?!" He growled at the two bickering before him.

Tony froze and his face brightened at the sight of his beloved. "Zeerrrooo!!!! That woman is evil! Look at what she did to my beautiful face!" He whined as he lunged at Zero.

The prefect side stepped the attack causing Tony to run out into the hallway and fall flat on his face.

Technically, it was Zero who ruined his "beautiful" face.

"I thought you were going to make him back off?" Zero said looking at Hunter extremely irritated.

"I didn't think he was _this _deeply in love with you....so it's kind of your fault for being something he likes," Hunter replied.

"Quit being so lovey dovey behind my back! Get away from my prince you witch!" Tony screeched from the hallway.

"Oh shut the fuck up you genetic defect!" Hunter snarled already annoyed with getting called names. "He's mine and it's mutual so give up already! You lost!"

"Ha! Then prove it!" Tony demanded placing both of his hands on his hips.

"What proof do you need? He already admitted that it was mutual earlier!" Hunter countered unsure of what Tony wanted as "proof."

"Kiss each other!" He replied pointing at them.

* * *

Ha! I bet you guys didn't expect that! Teehee....

Originally I wasn't going to add any new characters because the more characters the harder it is to manage the story and all of the characters. But because of all these Kaname/Zero yaoi fanfics I wondered "what if..." Hunter had a crazy gay guy friend who would obsess over Zero?

Also, more food for thought - I wonder what would happen if Zero ever got his hands on a DEATH NOTE?


	24. Liar

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. I was a little busy so I didn't have that much free time to spend on this. **

**Anyway, the conclusion of "what if Zero got his hands on a Death Note...?" is this:**

**Zero + Death Note = Love at First Sight - Vampire Race**

**And anyone he hates. **

**Lol....**

**I'm not gonna write a Death Note spoof, at least not one including Zero. I can't think of enough stuff to write a DN spoof with Zero as Kira. I think it'd be like a two-paragraph story. First paragraph would tell of how he got his hands on a Death Note and in the second paragraph he would kill everyone - and THE END.**

**Though I think I could have some fun with him trying to kill Kaname. How? Well I don't think you can kill a pureblood with a heartattack....so that'd be pretty funny. **

**I personally find Zero a challenge to write about because I actually have to THINK about what he might say or do. Then again it's the fun part of the story too. **

**Oh, and sorry for all the Kaname bashing. He's just too easy to pick on XD. **

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews, some actually made me laugh, lol. **

**And so the insanity continues. Enjoy.**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-Chapter 24: Liar-**

"_Bound at every limb by my shackles of fear,  
Sealed with lies through so many tears,  
Lost from within, pursuing the end,  
I fight for the chance to be lied to again…"_

Lies by Evanescence

"Kiss each other!" Tony demanded. If their feelings were mutual they should have no problem doing so.

Dumbfounded, neither Hunter nor Zero knew how to reply to his demand. Initially Hunter expected Tony to give up on Zero if she declared him hers and unavailable. It worked before with another guy...

_Think fast, think fast..._Hunter thought as she tried to come up with a way to weasel her way out of this one. Tony had a point - if they really liked each other they would have no problem with kissing one another. Then an idea came to her mind.

_I'm a genius!_ She thought as she walked up to Zero to execute Weasel Plan A.

"C'moooonnn I'm waaaiiitttinnngg..." Tony said impatiently tapping his foot.

"Shut up already, will you?" Hunter snapped ignoring the uneasy look on Zero's face.

Hunter walked up to the prefect in a way that her back was facing Tony. She then yanked on Zero's tie pulling him down so they would be face to face. He looked at her startled.

"I'm not gonna kiss you," she whispered. "He can't see from there if we're kissing or not so let's just make it look like we are," she added, her breath brushing his lips.

"Uh..." Zero replied feeling awkward.

"Hey! That's bullshit!" Tony yelled from the other side of the room.

Hunter turned around looking pissed off. "What? I just kissed him, didn't I?" She asked menacingly.

"I-didn't-see-it," he replied emphasizing his words with hand gestures.

_Damn it...so he's not as stupid as he used to be, huh?_ She growled mentally as she imagined kicking him out the window.

"C'mon! Kiss each other! Gimme a real kiss!" He demanded slapping his hip for some unknown reason.

Zero growled annoyed. He only had two options. One was to kiss Hunter and get it over with. The other option was to admit that it wasn't "mutual" and put up with the psycho until he leaves. Unfortunately he didn't know when _that thing_ was going to leave.

Fed up, he grabbed Hunter and kissed her on the cheek. That should be enough, right?

Hunter looked at him shocked and Tony's jaw dropped to the floor.

"What the hell was that?!" Tony exclaimed after a second. "That's how you kiss your grandma at a funeral not your lover!" He screeched waving his arms.

Weasel Plan B was a failure.

Hunter snorted and choked trying to contain her laugh.

"I want a real lovers' kiss!" He demanded like a kid in a candy store.

If only looks could kill...Zero really wanted to strangle the strange kid before him. Not only was he gay, he was psycho and perverted. He was like the horde of Night Class fangirls combined with Lycian times ten.

"What? Are you demanding fanservice?" Hunter asked irritated, ready to kill him any second. She was also starting to get desperate to get rid of him. Yes, they were still friends even though he relinquished their friendship for love, but this was pushing it. What Tony saw in Zero was beyond her.

"Fine," Zero growled and took hold of Hunter's face, tilting it slightly upwards before covering her lips with his.

Tony's jaw dropped to the floor - again.

At first the kiss was a little forceful and awkward but as Zero relaxed Hunter guided him through the motions and snaked her hand up to his neck where her fingers gently brushed over the sensitive pressure points, sending pleasant jolts of electricity down Zero's spine.

_BA-BUMP!_ Zero's heart skipped a beat.

_BA-BUMP!_ His throat began feeling parched.

_BA-BUMP!_ He wanted to sink his fangs into her...

She then traced his lips with her tongue to see how far he was willing to go, but instead of letting her in he pulled away.

Zero cleared his throat and looked away from Hunter as he felt heat rush up to his cheeks.

Hunter felt slightly disappointed as she was actually enjoying the kiss. She looked over at Tony who was blushing madly. "Happy?" she asked covering her lips with the back of her hand. She could still taste Zero.

"F-fi-fine, you win," Tony stammered feeling extremely hot. "I'll give up for now, but don't think you've completely won!" He exclaimed after he collected himself. "You've always been a good kisser so I know you seduced him!" He added pointing an accusing finger at Hunter.

"Tch, why you little..." Hunter fumed clenching her fists.

"I'm leaving," Zero suddenly said, his face still feeling hot as he fought the urge to sink his fangs into Hunter.

"A-alright..." Hunter replied unsure of what was wrong. _He's probably embarrassed_, she thought as she watched him leave. From what she gathered from just kissing him it seemed as if that _one time_ was his first. _Ha-ha! I stole your first and second kiss and you liked it!_ She grinned mentally like the Cheshire cat.

Tony suddenly broke down into tears. "Waaaahh!!!! You stole my beautiful prince!!!!" He wailed hitting the ground with his butt sticking up in the air.

_How unsightly...._Hunter thought as she watched her friend throw a tantrum suitable of a five-year-old. Tony made it look like she just stole his favorite toy or something.

"Get over it," she said as she crouched down by him and ruffled his porcupine hair only to have her fingers get stuck in it. "And you called my hair road kill..." she muttered untangling her fingers.

Tony sniffled and looked up at her. "My hair ISN'T road kill," he sniffed with a narrowed glare seemingly forgetting that he just lost to her in a battle of love.

"Fine, fine, it's still a porcupine," Hunter retorted with a teasing smirk. "Ne, what do you see in Zero anyway?" she suddenly asked changing the topic. Maybe bringing his thoughts back to his beloved wasn't the best idea but she was curious.

"Huh?" Tony's brows furrowed as he tried to comprehend her question. "How can you not love someone so beautiful?" He asked cocking his head to the side as if she should have known why he was attracted to Zero from the very beginning. "Not only is he beautiful but he also seems so lonely that I just want to hug him! He's like a beautiful red rose yearning for love but the thorns of his past are preventing anyone from getting close to give him the love that he yearns for..." he added dreamily.

It was Hunter's turn to look confused. "Okay..." she said unsure of how to reply. Even though she had spent months living with Zero she still had no clue about his past or why he was the asshole that he is. Then again, it wasn't as if he knew much about her either.

A knock resounded on the door. "Hunter-san?" Came Yuuki's timid voice from the other side.

Ah, Zero's true crush has just arrived. At least Zero wasn't around, otherwise it would have become obvious that they were pretending and then Tony would endlessly harass Yuuki even though the girl seemed clueless of Zero's true feelings. Regardless of whether Yuuki was aware or not, Tony couldn't find out about it.

"Yeah?" Hunter called out to let the girl know she heard her.

Yuuki tentatively opened the door. "The Chairman wants to see you," she said politely. "Ah, sorry, I didn't see you, I'm Cross Yuuki," she added with a bow when she noticed Tony.

"Don't worry about him," Hunter said kicking Tony in the side to get off the floor. "Do you know why he wants to see me?" she asked the shorter girl.

"Um, no, I wasn't given the details," Yuuki replied in her usual manner.

In the meantime Hunter sized up Yuuki. She was short, tiny, timid, kind of cute, seemingly flat chested and polite. In other words, Yuuki was cute. Or at least that's what the majority of the society would consider her as.

Hunter, on the other hand, with her voluptuous chest, star-quality looks and horrible personality would be commonly categorized as a "trophy fuck." By all means, she also failed under the terms "lady" and "etiquette" as her manners were equivalent to the ones of a college frat boy.

Thus, as a cute girl, Hunter was a failure.

_Sigh...no wonder he ran off like that...it wasn't embarrassment, he probably wanted to puke from kissing me_, she thought depressed after her deductions.

"I'll lead you to the Chairman's office then," Yuuki said feeling uncomfortable under Hunter's scrutinizing gaze.

"Alright," Hunter voiced clearing her mind and began following her with Tony in tow.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Oi, why are you following me?" She asked Tony slightly annoyed with him hovering behind her like some creepy ghost.

"What else am I going to do? Sit in your room and go nuts from how dirty it is?" Tony countered peeved.

"Yuuki..." a male voice called. Hunter recognized the voice as the hairs on the back of her neck bristled. It was Kaname.

"Kaname-sempai!" Yuuki exclaimed surprised. She walked up to the pureblood with a small blush gracing her cheeks.

"Oh no it's the _homeless _man again..." Tony sniveled behind Hunter.

"Hey Yuuki, I'll go ahead, alright?" Hunter called out to the small prefect and continued walking. Yuuki turned to her giving her a small nod before turning back to Kaname who was saying something to her. She really wanted avoid any sort of social interaction with the bastard because there was no guarantee that she wouldn't kill him. Being a pureblood didn't give him the right to look down on her.

"Hunter..._Hunter_..." Tony whispered tugging on Hunter's sleeve. "Hunter!" He whispered harshly tugging harder when she was ignoring him.

"What?!" She asked annoyed.

"The_ homeless_ man is looking at me like he wants to _rape _me!" He whimpered as quietly as he could.

"Ha...you better run then or he's gonna come and grab you from behind and be like _'come to papa'_ and then he's gonna bend you over and-"

"No! Stop it! I don't wanna be raped by a homeless man!" Tony cried behind her now tightly grabbing onto her arm.

"Oh you'd like it," Hunter replied dismissively.

"Like hell! Who knows what diseases he's got! I don't want lice either!" Tony argued.

"How do you know he's got lice?" She asked wondering how he got that idea.

"Homeless people don't bathe because they don't have a place to bathe...and when you don't bathe you get dirty and when you're dirty you get lice!" He explained his reasoning.

"Uh-huh," she replied half listening to his worries.

By then they were by the Chairman's office and Hunter's sensitive ears picked up voices inside. Tuning out her friend's rambling she listened in on the conversation.

_"I think I should take Hunter back with me," Sister Katherine said._

_"Isn't she doing fine here though?" Chairman Cross asked calmly._

_"Kaien - she's been shot. And I know she's hard to handle and a lot of trouble but I really just don't think that boy of yours can keep her safe," the woman argued. _

"_It was an accident, it could have happened anywhere regardless of where you would've decided to leave her," Kaien replied calmly. _

There was a brief silence. Hunter tensed when she heard a small sigh.

"_It would have been better if that time she had…" Katherine's voice trailed off. _

"_For a nun you say some horrible things..."_

_Tch..._Hunter thought utterly pissed off. She didn't want to hear any more of their arguing and knocked on the door. Or maybe she was just afraid to hear more?

The voices on the other side died down. "Come in," Cross said.

Hunter opened the door and walked in with her best poker face on. In reality she was royally pissed off at both the Chairman and Sister Katherine.

"I mean like, just look at him, he's so creepy looking...I bet that if he unzipped his pants bats would come flying out going Ki! Ki! Ki! Ki!" Tony continued to ramble unaware that Hunter didn't hear a single word he said. "Oh hi Sister Katherine!" He greeted as if he didn't just talk about bats flying out of Kaname's pants.

"I was told you wanted to see me?" She began, acting as if she didn't eavesdrop on their conversation. Even though Chairman Cross seemed to be taking her side in the argument, she had a gut feeling that told her that the man might have ulterior motives to keep her around. He probably just wanted to study her "kind" more than anything.

"Ah, yes..." Cross said as he fumbled for something in his desk. When he found whatever he was looking for his face brightened. "There it is," he said satisfied as he pulled out a familiar looking bottle. Where has she seen this bottle before?

"Sister Katherine and I decided that the binding thread is no longer necessary so I'm going to take it off," Kaien said and poured some of the clear liquid from the bottle onto a pair of scissors as if disinfecting them. He then walked up to Hunter and cut the choker that bound her to Zero.

_No longer necessary because I might be leaving this place soon, huh?_ She wondered rubbing her neck where the choker once was.

"Uwah! Zero was so cute when he was little!" Tony exclaimed completely unaware of their conversation. He was too busy going through the Chairman's family pictures.

Hunter twitched. She walked up to Tony and slammed her fist on his head. "Will ya quit it?!" She barked.

"Eek! Don't ruin my hair!" he complained as he frantically tried to fix his hair.

"Ah, Hunter-chan, do you know where Zero-kun might be by any chance?" Cross asked ignoring their behavior.

"I can look for him if you want," Hunter offered wondering why he didn't just ask Yuuki to find the guy.

"That would be great!" The man replied in his usual cheery way.

"Under one condition," Hunter then said. The headmaster looked at her questioningly. "You keep this thing here restrained," she said pushing Tony in front of her.

"Has he been a nuisance?" Sister Katherine asked finally joining in on the conversation.

"A little," Hunter replied ignoring Tony's puppy eyes as he tried to beg her into letting him come. Unfortunately for him it wasn't working.

* * * * * * * * * *

Finding Zero proved to be a lot more difficult than she initially anticipated. She figured that she could track him down like a dog via his scent but there was one big problem – his scent was everywhere.

Walking down the hallway where their rooms were, she heard a loud noise come from the bathroom. Sounded like a crash – no more like a thud or a clank. Curious, Hunter gently turned the knob and pushed the door open. When she walked in she saw a familiar mess of silver-white hair.

Zero was standing hunched over the sink, his frame shaking as he struggled to breathe. "Zero?" she asked tentatively, wondering what was wrong with him.

"Get out…" he said gruffly, not even looking at her.

"Are you okay?" She asked getting closer. Not hearing an answer, she gently put her hand on his arm.

He shoved her arm away. "Get out!" he yelled, his eyes glowing crimson.

"No!" she retorted angrily, unfazed by his outburst. Her confusion (or was it concern?) overrode any possible fear she should feel at the moment. "Tell me what's wrong!" she demanded.

The vampire grabbed onto her, pinning her small wrists together with one hand and spun her around, making her back face his chest. Moving her long hair with his free hand he dipped his head low, the tip of his tongue tracing the nape of her neck.

Hunter watched the scene evolve in the large mirror paralyzed. The hunger in his eyes and the feel of his tongue on her skin sent shivers down her spine. She didn't know if she should be turned on or scared. Zero suddenly let go of her wrists and pushed her away. "Get out," he whispered hoarsely as he stepped away, leaning his back against the wall before sliding down to the floor.

Her eyes darted about the plain bathroom. There were blood tablets on the sink, a drinking glass, and Zero's uniform jacket. Things suddenly became clear to her – he was struggling with his hunger. So she should have been scared..._oops_...

She began rummaging through the drawers to do the only thing she could think of. Pulling out the pair of scissors she used to trim her hair once, she rolled up her sleeve and used them to slit her wrist. Hurrying before the wound closed up on its own, Hunter squeezed out as much blood as she could into the glass.

Only half of the glass managed to fill up before the fibers of her body reattached themselves. _Oh well, this will have to do,_ she thought as she pivoted on the pads of her feet and crouched down before Zero.

"Here, drink this," she said handing him the glass as she licked her wrist clean. The wound already closed and there wasn't even a scar.

Zero looked away from defiantly. He didn't want to drink her blood.

"C'mon," she urged. "Think of it as drinking juice. It's not like you're sucking it out of my body…" she said reassuringly.

The metallic scent of her blood taunted him. His throat was parched and his stomach turned in knots. All his body wanted was blood, but his mind continued to struggle. It was wrong to drink someone else's blood. He felt like a monster doing it. Drinking Yuuki's blood was already bad enough. He couldn't even comprehend the idea of starting to drink Hunter's. But _her_ blood was all his body wanted.

Hunter sighed and shoved the glass right under his nose. The scent was too much for him to control himself so he grabbed the glass from her and gulped the contents down hungrily.

Hunter's blood was nothing like Yuuki's. It lacked the coppery taste.

Hot and thick, like liquid silver it slid over his tongue and down his throat. Didn't even really taste like blood. He would have never thought possible that blood could taste like this. Was it because she was a werewolf – a descendant of a demigod at that? Was it the "god" part that made her blood taste like this?

He didn't realize that he finished until Hunter took the dirty glass from him and rinsed it in the bathroom sink. When she finished she wiped her hands on her skirt and crouched down in front of him.

"Feeling better?" she asked with a small smile, feeling relieved that he was breathing normally and that his eyes were no longer crimson.

At that instant he felt disgusted. Disgusted with himself for being the monster that he is. He used Yuuki as a blood cow before and now he was using Hunter. It wouldn't be long before he would fall to a Level-E. At least then he'd be put out of his misery.

Hunter then remembered everything she heard. _It would have been better_...Sister Katherine's words echoed in her mind. Feeling weak, she sat down on the floor in front of Zero and buried her face in her hands. It wasn't from the blood loss as she hardly lost any blood but from everything she heard earlier. Things seemed so crystal clear now.

To be denied what most people take for granted just because of what she is didn't bother her as much. But to hear Sister Katherine imply that it would have been better if she were dead because of what she is, was a really a low blow.

"It shouldn't matter _what_ you are," she said quietly, her voice just above a whisper. "What matters is _who_ you are…" her voice trailed off.

A shaky sigh escaped her lips as she tried to collect herself. With her poker face back on, she got off the floor. "Whatever, the Chairman wants to see you. He's taking off our binding because it's no longer necessary," she said calmly as if she didn't nearly have an emotional breakdown. She refused to be weak…to be a burden.

_It's no longer necessary because I might be leaving soon_, she thought again, straightening her skirt.

She then turned around and pulled the prefect to his feet.

Facing him, Hunter sighed contemplatively. She scratched the back of her head, shifted coltishly on her feet and then suddenly bitch slapped him as hard as she could.

Zero looked at her shocked. Then again he felt as if he deserved it. He drank her blood after all. He was a monster.

"Quit giving me that look!" She barked. She hated that submissive look of his that told her she could do with him as she pleased. The look that silently begged for her to kill him.

Zero didn't react. He stood there with the same look and a reddened cheek. Hunter grit her teeth and grabbed onto his shirt pulling him down so they were face to face. "If you keep baring your neck like that I won't hold back," she half growled, half hissed, her silver eyes swirling with fury.

It would be easy. It would only take one quick bite. Zero knew that just like him Hunter had fangs. But his were designed to pierce the skin in order to drink blood. Hers were designed to rip through flesh and crush bones. Zero was aware of that fact and knew that all she had to do is to bite down on his trachea to crush it…then pull back with her fangs clamped shut to rip out his throat.

"Do it," he said quietly, his eyes still begging for death.

Hunter's eyes narrowed down into a piercing glare that penetrated into the darkest fissures of his soul, probing at the secrets that he had never allowed anyone to see. A sudden tremor of fear ran down his spine. It was some atavistic sense picking up a threat – warning him of the creature before him and installing fear to ensure survival. The same fear he felt in the very beginning.

She then did the unexpected and kissed him, pulling away before he could even register what she did. "To me you smell more human than anyone else in this god forsaken academy," she said with her back facing him. "The chairman wants to see you. I'll be in my room," she added reminding him why she found him in the first place. Death was one thing she could not grant him.

* * * * * * * * * *

Slightly dazed, Zero made his way to the Chairman's office. "Come in," the man on the other side of the door said cheerfully. How could he be so cheerful and carefree all the time was beyond him.

He opened the door and walked in. "Ah, Zero-kun!" Cross exclaimed, his face instantly brightening.

The headmaster then bustled about pulling out a pair of scissors and a bottle. The bottle looked familiar. He raked his mind for where he has seen it.

_Ah, yeah..._he thought remembering the time when he and Hunter went out to the town to get supplies. That's when they got caught by rain and ended up taking shelter in a nearby church. He fell asleep at that time and woke up with Hunter snuggled up to him. That's also where they got that bottle - filled with holy water.

"Give me your wrist, the one with the band on it," Cross instructed. Zero did as he was told, feeling numb from the earlier bathroom incident. He could still feel Hunter's lips, taste her blood, and worst of all - a part of him wanted more.

Kaien swiftly cut the band and went back behind his desk. "You're officially free of Hunter-san," Kaien said as he put away his things. "But I would still like for you to keep watch over her for the time being," he added closing his desk drawer. As agreed with Sister Katherine, Zero was to keep watch over Hunter until the holiday break. It was also when the semester ended, which in Katherine's opinion, was the best time to remove Hunter from the academy.

"Oh yeah, Hunter-chan's friend - what was his name? Tony-san? Yeah, him - he said to tell you and Hunter-chan that he will be back and that his love shall prevail? I don't know what he meant by that but it seems that he likes Hunter-chan and is jealous of you..." The Chairman mused, quite baffled by the eccentric teen as he recalled him hanging out the car window yelling, "Tell Hunter and Zero that I'll be back!!!! My love shall prevail!!!"

"Hoh-ho, seems like you have a rival Zero-kun! Ah, children, they grow up so fast..." Cross gleamed at the thought of his boy growing up.

Zero's mind suddenly cleared at the thought of Tony as his skin began feeling prickly. He wasn't Tony's rival and Tony wasn't interested in Hunter. It was _him_ that creep was interested in.

"Oh and can you take this to Hunter-chan? It's her allowance from Sister Katherine," Cross asked holding out a white envelope.

It was a simple order hidden under the casual words of a small request. Regardless of its true nature, Zero wasn't the kind to disobey.

He took the white envelope from the headmaster, gave him a nod and then left without a word.

* * * * * * * * * *

Walking down a dimly lit hallway her words haunted him. _More human_...the words echoed in his mind. For some reason he couldn't wrap his head around it. At one point in his life he _was_ human, the past tense being the key. Now he was anything but. _Stupid girl…saying stupid things,_ he ranted mentally. What did she know, really?

Hunter lived a comfortable life as a human until now, completely ignorant. Ignorant of the pain and suffering he has had to endure. She didn't suffer from the thirst and she didn't drink blood of the one she loved.

Foolish girl, how could she so frivolously offer her blood as if it was nothing? And to kiss him like that…

Zero's jaw tightened in annoyance at the thought. He didn't know if he was irritated with himself more than he was irritated with Hunter. She kissed him and gave him blood so carelessly. Yet he liked it.

Whenever he thought about it a strange feeling passed through him and he could once more feel and taste her lips. Those devious and delightfully sweet lips of hers…

He shook his head to clear his mind. Yuuki was the only one he loved, the only one he wanted.

The sudden realization made him feel as if he betrayed Yuuki. She's always been his only one. Guilt overtook his conscience, tearing at him to the core. What had he done? _It was all to get rid of that creep_, he told himself. But was it really? Were they really pretending? Why did he like it so much?

Rounding a corner he made his way to the kitchen to grab a quick snack. There was no way he could show up to dinner tonight. He couldn't face Yuuki. Not like this, not after what he had done. As if on autopilot, he made himself a sandwich and began eating it. For some reason it tasted weird.

Zero paused and inspected the sandwich. Were any of the ingredients expired? Bad? Did he even use the right ones?

The sandwich was a plain turkey one with some lettuce, tomato and rye bread. Everything smelled fresh. No reason for it to taste weird.

It didn't take him long to figure why it tasted weird. Since he drank Hunter's blood it was all he could think of. His thirst was quenched but he still wanted more even if his mind was screaming otherwise. It was true, unfortunately. As much as he hated it, he wanted to kiss her again, to sink his fangs into her porcelain skin. Such thoughts made him feel like a monster.

He finished the sandwich and headed upstairs, trying to clear his mind on the way. Yuuki was his only one. There was no one else.

When he felt as if he had regained control over himself he walked into Hunter's room. It was surprisingly dark and quiet. Normally that featherbrained wolf would be prancing around at this hour begging to be let out like a house trained dog. _If she snuck out again_…he grumbled mentally getting irritated as he walked further into the room.

Much to his surprise Hunter didn't sneak out. She was passed out on her bed still in her clothes. Her body was coiled into itself like a cat's as she hugged a pillow and her sable tail curled over her legs to keep her warm. Taking a quick look around the room he noticed that the blanket was thrown haphazardly on the floor across the room with her other pillow.

A sigh escaped his lips. "Seriously…" he muttered picking up the blanket and the pillow off the floor. He tossed the pillow above her head and spread out the blanket to cover her. He then set her allowance on the nightstand.

Hunter stirred in her sleep as she relaxed under the warmth of the blanket, the movement catching his attention. _Stupid girl_, he thought looking at her sleeping form. She only looked cute and innocent when she was asleep. It was also the only time she didn't get on his nerves.

Another sigh escaped his lips as he leaned over and gently brushed her overgrown fringe from her eyes. Her inky hair and alabaster skin felt soft against the pads of his fingers. Hunter suddenly mumbled something incoherent and leaned into his touch.

_BA-BUMP!_ His heart skipped a beat. He didn't realize he was still touching her. Pulling his hand away quickly he left her room as panic began to course through his veins. What if she woke up? What would she think? What would she do?

In the safety of his room he took a slow deep breath. That was too close. Way too close. What was he thinking anyway? He made his way to his bed and picked up the water glass that usually stood on his night stand, gulping down the contents. The water tasted weird too, somewhat bitter. What the hell has she done to him?

He stripped off his uniform and settled on his bed. He only loved Yuuki and the attraction he felt for Hunter was caused by her blood. That's all there was to it. Too bad he didn't believe it.

* * * * * * * * * *

Hunter awoke when she felt her drool about to drip down onto her pillow. "Ugh…" she mumbled wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. She was dreaming about a steak, go figure.

"Damn, I fell asleep," she muttered aloud as she stretched. Earlier she was throwing a tantrum caused by her frustrations with Zero and everything that has happened. In the end she only cried herself to sleep. _I'm pathetic,_ she thought hiding under the blanket. Wait, wasn't the blanket across the room earlier?

Sniffing it she picked up Zero's scent. He must have stopped by to check on her and picked it up. She checked the time on her alarm clock. It was 2A.M. according to the hands on the badly abused device of her worst annoyance. Next to the clock she noticed the envelope. She already knew it was her allowance from Sister Katherine. A new wave of bitterness took over, reminding her what she decided to do before she cried herself to sleep.

Hunter slid out of her bed and quickly changed into her casual clothes. No need to wear the uniform if you're not attending classes. Then silently like a thief she snuck out of her room and peeked into Zero's. Noticing the glass empty and him unconscious she headed back into her room.

_Didn't think he'd actually drink that,_ she thought sliding on her coat. Earlier she took three of her sleeping pills and crushed them up before dissolving them in the water. Initially she thought the plan would fail as the prefect would have picked up the nasty taste but apparently he didn't.

She pocketed the money in an inside chest pocket of her military style wool coat and double tied her shoelaces on her knee high boots.

After double checking everything she quietly walked back into Zero's room. There was no way he'd wake up anytime soon. One pill knocked her out cold and she gave him three. _Oops…_

Unfortunately it was necessary in order for her to accomplish what she had decided.

"Sorry…" she whispered softly and disappeared into the darkness.

* * * * * * * * * *

_Wherefore art thou Juliet?_

* * *

**Ah so it's time to get serious again....and I was having so much fun with Tony too. I bet no one expected this turn of events. I didn't either till my fingers typed it. **

**I never specified for this to be a drama or a comedy, just a "supernatural romance" in order to give myself a lot of room as to how things progressed. In reality life isn't just all drama or all comedy. It's more of a rollercoaster ride between the ups and the downs so I'm trying to use that in this story. Hmm...I don't know, it kind of makes it more authentic? Despite all the supernatural stuff of course....**

**So will Tony come back? Will they have more fun times again? **

**Maybe. Probably.**


	25. Missing

**Author's Note: Woot! New chapter! BUT! Before I start ranting up here I must say that I'm utterly impressed by the 100+ reviews! Thanks guys! **

**NOW - onto the usual ranting! First, this is only a FILLER chapter. Meaning it's not that great. I hate writing fillers. Unfortunately they're a necessary evil...**

**I'm really trying to keep Zero in-character. It's hard. **

**I also added *time* in this chapter to keep things organized. **

**This time I'm going to reply to reviews at the end of the chapter so you guys can enjoy the story first =).**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-25: Missing -**

"_Sometimes goodbye is a second chance…"_

Second Chance by Shinedown

-2:15 A.M.-

Running as if Hell itself was on her tail, Hunter ignored the icy winds that stung her face, reddening her cheeks. She had to get away, there was no other choice. Why? Because there was _no way in hell_ she'd go back with Sister Katherine. Not after what she heard.

It was one of the worst blows she had ever received emotionally. Now the idea of viewing Sister Katherine as her adoptive mother seemed preposterous. The nun may have raised her but she also betrayed her in the worst way imaginable. Not only did the woman hide the death of her best friend from her but even implied that it would have been better if she were _dead_. Who the _fuck_ says that?

So maybe her true nature was a bit of an inconvenience. But if Katherine knew of her bloodline from the very beginning and had a problem with it, why did she even bother raising her? If it were better if she were dead then they should have left her to die, out in the woods where her biological mother had left her.

_Why let me live and then want me to die later?_ She wondered jumping over a fallen tree with the ease of a deer. _Why _– she jumped over another rotting log _– why_ _feed me all those pretty little lies?_

Hunter jumped over yet another fallen tree but this time slipped on some ice. "Shit!" she cursed aloud as she flipped backwards. Her back hit the log with a dull thud, the impact causing her to cringe. With a groan she got off the snow covered ground and resumed her running. There was no time to brush the snow and dead leaves off her coat. She had to get away – away from Sister Katherine, away from the academy – even away from Zero.

A pang of emotion echoed in her heart and her breath caught in her throat at the thought of the vampire. A part of her wanted to run back to the academy, to shove him against a wall, to take control over him. She wanted him, it was that simple.

_You idiot!_ She scolded herself mentally. He was a vampire, she was a werewolf. Maybe that didn't matter as much as the fact that _he was already in love with someone else_. What had she been thinking? Kissing him, desiring him…when she perfectly knew his heart already belonged to another. She chided herself for her stupidity and pressed on, the soles of her boots crushing twigs under the white snow.

When another branch snapped in the distance Hunter skidded to a stop. Straining her ears she listened for more movement but there was none. Was it her imagination? It must have been. After all she was beyond paranoid since she was running away. She had to keep moving.

With her nerves strung as tight as the wires on a piano she started walking. She was now hyper-attentive to the minutest of noises as her paranoia spurred her forward. She wanted to run but she also wanted to know if she was really being watched.

The wind picked up, swaying the bare trees, causing the grotesque branches to scratch at the starless sky. Hunter tensed, stringing her nerves even tighter. There was someone or _something_ watching her.

She whirled around doing a three-sixty, her now silver eyes taking in the smallest of details of the dark forest. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up when she heard the snow crunch to her side followed by a low growl.

Hunter turned slowly, her gaze meeting a set of amber eyes. Before her, on its hind legs stood a large werewolf, holding a dead sheep in its powerful jaws. It was quite a gory sight. The werewolf looked like something one would see in a Hollywood movie, all muscle and fur, standing on two legs like a human but instead of hands it had two large paws and a wolf's head. Hunter instantly realized that it was a turned werewolf and not a born one.

The beast's fur bristled as another feral growl rumbled in its throat. It was threatening her.

A huge wave of relief rushed over Hunter. _So it wasn't anyone from Cross Academy! It's that mutt that's been stealing sheep!_ She thought relieved, unafraid of the werewolf or the threats that came from it.

The werewolf released the sheep from its jaws, letting it drop on the snow like a limp ragdoll. It then lowered its head and snarled viciously at her, its hot breath a small cloud in the icy wind.

"I don't want your sheep, it's gross, I'm leaving," Hunter said to the werewolf and turned around resuming her walk. Even though this was the werewolf that was the reason she got shot that one time she had no intentions of getting into a fight with anyone or anything. Currently her priority was to get away from Cross Academy as far as possible.

The werewolf suddenly lunged at her. Hunter dodged with ease and looked at the animal annoyed. "Oi! Dumbass! I don't wanna fight you!" She yelled at it.

The beast snarled at her once more. "If you wanna talk then change into your human form 'cause I don't understand rahwrahrah!" She exclaimed dodging another attack.

_Wait, didn't Lycian say that turned werewolves couldn't shape shift at will like the born ones? That once they turned they would remain in the gruesome form throughout the night only to return to being human during the day with no recollection of what they did? _Hunter pondered as she continued to dodge the attacks. She wasn't sure as to whether her memory was correct or not. It wasn't as if she ever paid attention to Lycian or his talks about werewolves. She could only remember vague details of the lectures.

The werewolf's jaws suddenly clamped down on her arm. If she wasn't a wolf herself, her arm would have been crushed. She glared at the beast menacingly. "Pathetic," she growled and kicked the werewolf away from her.

Her raven tail unfurled from under her coat and her small hands were now adorned in razor sharp claws. She snarled at the werewolf, brandishing her own set of large incisors, ready to tear through flesh.

When the werewolf lunged at her, she didn't dodge this time but instead caught its mandible, sinking her claws into the flesh before bringing down the animal to her level and wringing its neck as she ripped its jaw apart.

"What a waste of time," Hunter muttered dropping the dead werewolf. She then crouched down to clean off her bloodied hands in the snow, her body returning to its human form. _I hope they haven't noticed that I'm gone_, she thought straightening herself.

A sigh escaped her as she turned to resume her walk. Hunter barely managed to take a step when something whizzed through the air and struck her. "Fuck! Ow!" She cursed as something stung her shoulder. Before she could inspect the cause of her sudden pain her head pounded painfully and she dropped down to her knees.

"What the hell?" She asked holding onto the ground as her world began to spin. "Aaaahhh!" She screamed from the intensifying pain. Her cranium felt as if it was going to explode.

Another silent shot whizzed through the air, this time striking her side. The pain was now blinding and she fell into the snow in a heap, her vision blurring.

Someone approached her as she could faintly make out a silhouette. "Well, well....just look at what we have here," a masculine voice said.

Hunter tried to push herself up with her arms but they gave out and she collapsed back into the snow, paralyzed by the pain.

"My, isn't this a strong one!" another male voice joked, his silhouette appearing behind the first one.

The first voice barked with laughter. "Hell yeah, two shots and the bitch is still up!" He said in a gravelly voice.

"Shit dude, look at this!" A third male voice said. "Bitch ripped his jaw apart!" He added almost fascinated by the gore.

"Fuck, that's somethin', she really gonna be worth a lot," the gravelly voice said again.

"Forget that shit, we gotta bag 'er up and get the hell outta here before someone finds us!" The second voice snapped gruffly.

_Bastards..._Hunter thought bitterly in her head before her mind slipped into unconsciousness.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

-4:00 A.M.-

"Lycian-san! Lycian-san!" Chairman Cross whispered harshly trying to wake the sleeping teen.

"No mom, I didn't eat the cookies...." Lycian mumbled sleepily into his pillow, turning away from the headmaster.

"Lycian-san!" Cross called out again slightly shaking Lycian's shoulder.

Lycian chuckled into his pillow as he dreamed about watching Hunter undress.

"Lycian-san!" Cross shook him harder.

This time Lycian rolled over to look at the nuisance that was trying to wake him. "Huh?" He asked slightly cracking his eyes open.

When he saw the Chairman hovering over him in his robes and shawl he screamed. "Waah! What the hell are you doing here!?!?!" He exclaimed suddenly awake as he jumped to the other side of his bed, creeped out by the blonde man.

"Your mom just called, she wants to talk to you, she said it was urgent," Kaien said dismissing the rude response. He was already used to such behavior from having to deal with Zero.

"A-alright," Lycian said and got off his bed, following Cross.

When they made their way to the Chairman's Office, Cross showed him the phone and stepped out to give him some privacy.

"Mom, do you have any idea what time it is over here?" Lycian asked dully as he picked up the phone.

On the other end his mother sobbed. "Lycian!" She cried into the phone. "Y-your father and…and Gabriel..." her voice broke as she was unable to finish the sentence.

Lycian was now wide awake and alert. "Wait, wait, what do you mean? What happened? Tell me!" He demanded suddenly worried and confused. His mother was a strong woman and to hear her cry like this was alarming.

"O-our pack was attacked..." she paused as a sob raked her."Alex and Gabriel....they took them...." she paused again. "Your father...h-he....he was severely injured protecting them..." she then broke down completely, her loud sobs reverberating through phone lines, reaching him as if she was right there with him.

Lycian's heart sank down to his stomach. Alex was his best friend and Gabriel was his little brother. He slammed his fist against the wall. "When did this happen?!" he asked as fury began to course through his veins.

"Y-yesterday," his mother cried on the other end.

"How bad is it?" He asked referring to his father's injuries.

"He's in intensive ca-care…" she replied with a sob.

"Do you know who took them?" He pressed, though he knew he shouldn't push her too hard.

"Hunters…not from the association…" she said, her voice croaky from crying.

His jaw tightened. If the hunters weren't from the association it only meant one thing. The people who took Alex and Gabriel were poachers – the kind that hunted anything nonhuman for financial benefits.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," he reassured his mother. "I'm leaving the academy right now, hang in there," he added and hung up before she could protest.

"Chairman Cross!" he called out walking through the office.

"What is it?" The man asked utterly confused and concerned.

"Get me a car ready to take me to the train station – I need to go back to Italy. Something came up," he said quickly, walking out into the hallway with the headmaster in tow.

"Did something bad happen?" Kaien asked now fully concerned.

"Poachers took two of our pack members….one of them was my little brother and my father is injured – I have to go back. Please don't tell Hunter this. Just tell her I went back to take care of something," Lycian explained as he was already back in his room packing a duffel bag.

"Alright, I'll go get the car," Kaien replied understanding the magnitude of the situation and left hastily.

"Thanks," Lycian called out after him as he tripped over his pants trying to pull them on.

In seconds he was fully dressed and packed. Cross came by once more to tell him that the car would be ready in a few and to wait for it outside in the front courtyard. He thanked the man once more and was now making his way outside.

"Shit, it's cold," he muttered when the icy wind mixed with snow hit him. Taking a quick glance at the ominous sky he cringed inwardly. There was going to be a snow storm. _Great…just fucking great…I hope the train doesn't get delayed,_ he thought as he made his way down the stairs onto the courtyard.

He shifted on his feet and looked around. Roughly ten feet from him he saw a tall girl with long blonde hair, kicking the snow. It was Ruka and she seemed angry.

"Hunter this! Hunter that! It's always all about _her!_" She grumbled pulling her coat tighter. "Even Kaname-sama talks about her!" she was seething with jealousy. "What does she have that I don't?!" she asked rhetorically, kicking more snow.

Lycian eyed her curiously. This wasn't the Ruka he was used to seeing. He found the situation mildly entertaining considering his circumstances.

"I'm sick of that inbred runt!" She exclaimed angrily.

At that Lycian chuckled, catching her attention.

"What's funny mutt?" The vampire asked in a degrading tone.

Lycian flashed her one of his infamous women-killing smiles. It was charming yet suave and at the same time slightly cocky because girls liked bad boys. "It's amusing to see you so ruffled…" he replied smoothly.

"And for your information, I'm not a mutt, honey. I'm a pureblood, so I think you should call me Lycian-_sama_ and not mutt," he added with a saccharine smile.

"As if," she sneered crossing her arms over her chest.

He eyed her with mild scrutiny. The sound of snow crunching under tires told him that the car was coming. An evil thought came to his mind so he walked up closer to Ruka and leaned in close to her ear. "Oh, and to answer your _earlier_ question – "he paused briefly as the headlights came up, bathing them in a golden glow, "– she has boobs."

Before Ruka realized what the werewolf just said he was already in the car laughing. "Don't stay out too late or you'll catch a cold _sweetheart_!" He called out through the lowered window, blowing her a kiss as the car drove away.

Heat rushed to Ruka's face and she clenched her fists. "Stupid dog!" She snarled angrily and stomped back to the Moon Dorms.

Lycian watched the vampire make her way back to the dorms briefly before turning around to face the front. He hadn't expected to run into Ruka like this or to catch her randomly fuming, away from the vampire nest called the Moon Dorms. Thinking about her insult towards Hunter made him sigh. _Vampires…they think they're better than everyone else_, he thought with slight bitterness. The teasing was fun though, he couldn't deny that. There was always pleasure to be found in ruffling someone's feathers.

"To the train station, sir?" The driver asked calmly.

"Yeah," he replied relaxing in the back seat and thought about his family. This was going to be a long journey. _I hope you're alright Gabe..._

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

-7:37 A.M.-

"Zero?" Yuuki called out, her voice muffled by the door. "Zero? Are you up?" She asked, this time letting herself in.

Hesitantly, she treaded into the dark room. Small sun rays filtered in through the gaps where the thick curtains failed to cover the windows, allowing her to see. "Zero?" Yuuki called out his name once more as she walked up to his bedside.

The prefect was out cold, her words not reaching him. It annoyed her.

"Zeerrroo....wake up!!" She demanded more bravely now, shaking his shoulder. "You're going to be late for class!"

"Shut up, you're noisy," Zero finally mumbled before grabbing Yuuki and pulling her down onto his bed. He pulled her closer against him and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "I'll feed you later..." He mumbled nuzzling into her hair.

Yuuki froze unsure as to what she should do. Zero nuzzled into her neck as he made himself comfortable. "You smell weird..." he said sleepily after a second when he couldn't detect the tell-tale scent of honeysuckle.

At that Yuuki snapped, shoving him away. "I don't smell weird! I showered!" She yelled hitting him repeatedly.

The hits woke him up. He sat up on his bed, catching her fists to cease her onslaught of punches. "Yuuki?" He asked groggily, confusion written on his face. "S-sorry..." He muttered letting her go.

"What was that all about anyway?" Yuuki asked agitated, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry...I was having a weird dream..." He replied even more confused as to why he thought she was Hunter and why on earth he pulled her down onto his bed. What was worse was the fact that his head pounded mercilessly.

"Y-you're going to be late for class," Yuuki stated slightly flushed as she was still embarrassed and left his room.

When she slammed the door behind her, he dropped back down onto his bed. "What the hell?" He asked himself aloud. His head hurt like hell, he was thirsty, had a cottonmouth and he mistook Yuuki for Hunter. Showing up to class on time was the least of his worries.

"What's wrong with me?" He half growled and got off the bed.

Yuuki was the one he loved and the one he wanted to be with. His attraction towards Hunter was only temporary from drinking her blood. It was her blood he wanted and not her. Or so he kept telling himself.

Zero dressed in his uniform and made sure Bloody Rose was in place. One of the benefits of being a guy was that guys didn't have to spend an hour in the morning to get ready. He took a quick glance in the mirror, fixed his tie and headed out to Hunter's room.

Hunter's room was empty and she was nowhere in sight. _Strange..._he thought but pushed it aside. She was probably in the bathroom or something weird like that. It was rare for her to be up this early but then again she did go ridiculously early to sleep the other night.

He made his way to her nightstand and picked up the assignments. Leafing through them he plucked out the chemistry one. "I'm too retarded to understand this chemical ratshit..." he read aloud and smirked.

The truth behind this assignment was that their Chemistry instructor never assigned it. He simply stuck it in there because he was suspicious if Hunter was actually doing her homework or bribing Kain and Hanabusa into doing it for her since, little to her knowledge, she was getting perfect scores on all of her assignments.

That being said, he got his hands onto some Night Class homework - a benefit of being a prefect - and slipped it into her daily pile of homework.

At least now he was reassured that the girl actually did the work.

Now where was she?

Zero shrugged the thought away. It was better this way. Who knows what he'd do if they were to be alone.

He made his way to the kitchen, chugged some milk straight from the carton to get rid of his cottonmouth and then proceeded to his first class, hoping not to run into Hunter.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

-5:33 P.M.-

Hunter awoke with a pounding headache. She groaned as she rolled over on the hard floor, feeling sore in all of her joints. She then got up on all fours and stretched, arching her spine as a loud yawn escaped her. _What the hell happened last night?_ She wondered scratching herself behind the ear. _Wait..._

She looked down and saw two large furry black paws. _What the fuck?!_ She jumped startled only to have her back collide with steel bars. _Why the hell am I in a cage?! Why the hell do I have paws?!_ She didn't know what to do with herself or what to do in general.

Eyeing her cage she noticed a metal bowl filled with water and on the top of the cage lay heavy chains and a large dog collar with inward spikes. She walked up to the water bowl and looked at her reflection.

Instead of her face she saw the one of a large black wolf with piercing silver eyes. _Wah!_ She jumped back from the water bowl knocking it over. The metal clanked and water spilled all over the cage. _Ah, great...just fucking great..._she thought then eyed her paws once more. They were huge. She tilted her head and saw that the only thing she was familiar with was her tail.

_Wait...so I'm in a cage...in a wolf's body....well at least I look like an oversized wolf rather than that thing I killed in the woods....and...?_ Her mind drew a blank.

Hunter mentally traced back her steps from the night before. She drugged Zero, ran away from the academy, killed the werewolf - and then - she was shot. Not with bullets but something more like a tranquilizer...or was it something else? And then she lost consciousness. Now that she was in a cage she could only assume she was kidnapped. But why was she in her full wolf form she didn't know she had in the first place?

Her sensitive ears picked up the sound of footsteps. "Hello?" She tried asking but the words only came out as a small bark. _Ack! I can't even talk?!_

A door opened revealing a relatively tall man with a three-day stubble. There were several scars on his rough face, the biggest one slashing vertically down his temple. The smell of chicken meat wafted over to her.

"How are ya girly?" The man asked in a deep gravelly smoker's voice.

Hunter growled at him. It was the bastard that shot her.

"Oh, got lotta attitude don't cha?" He asked with a sneer.

She only growled at him again, this time making her growl deeper and more threatening. If she could talk she'd cuss him out and demand to be released.

The man laughed and popped open a small gate in her cage and shoved in another metal bowl. "Eat up, girly, so that fur of yours stays silky," he said and backed away from the cage.

Hunter got up and sniffed the meat. It was leftover chicken. Mostly bones and a little bit of meat. _You can't be serious and expect me to eat this?_ She wondered looking at the man as if he was crazy.

"What? Not good enough for ya?" He asked looking at her with disbelief.

In response, Hunter turned around and curled up in a ball at the back of her cage. She had no intentions of eating leftovers. All she wanted was Zero's steak.

Her heart suddenly ached at the memory. _Damn it..._she cursed, now aggravated with herself and her emotions. _He's taken_, she told herself. _Besides, at this rate I'll probably never see him again,_ she thought as a wave of depression took over her.

"Tch, fucking wolf," the man spit and left, slamming the door behind him.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

-7:00 P.M.-

Smoke and stench of alcohol mixed with body odor hung like a pregnant cloud in the air. "Morgan on the rocks," Yagari said pushing an empty glass towards the bartender.

"Morgan on the rocks, comin' right up!" The bartender, a young man in his early twenties with a bad haircut, said and bustled behind the counter.

The vampire hunter sat hunched on his bar stool awaiting his next drink. He's already had a few but not enough to feel the effects of alcohol. Having had just completed an extermination job he felt as if he deserved a drink or two...or more.

"Here you go sir," the bartender said sliding him the whiskey.

Yagari caught the glass and took it up to his lips. He then took a slow drag of his cigarette, savoring the nicotine. A small group of rowdy men came into the bar, joking and cheering.

"Ha-ha! That was fuckin' great man!" One laughed, his laughter followed by an advanced smoker's cough.

"Fuck yeah, dude!" Cheered another from the group.

Yagari saw the three men take a seat in a booth behind him. They ordered a pitcher and continued to talk about something that apparently was awesome. He had no clue what that something was though.

"Man, just wait till Julio finds out about what we caught the other night! Guy's gonna shit a brick!" One of them, presumably the youngest of the three, said cheerfully.

"Fuck yeah he's gonna shit a brick. Fuckin' shitbag was braggin' on the phone yesterday sayin' they caught two pureblooded Benandanti, well big whoopdie-fuckin'-doo!" The one with the gravelly smoker voice said.

"So what're we gonna do with the bitch?" The younger one asked.

"Shit, I dunno, I mean...she a fucking Hati man, those are like almost extinct," smoker voice said scratching the three-day old stubble on his chin.

"Even if we were to skin 'er and sell 'er for the fur we'd make millions," the third one finally chimed in gruffly.

"Ah, but she's so fine, I don't wanna just kill her yet," the young one said in a tone that suggested he wanted to do some indecent things to this 'bitch.'

By now Yagari was all ears. They were talking about a female Hati wolf - and the _only one_ he knew of in this area was Hunter. Was it really Hunter they were talking about or was there another wolf like her? He wanted to find out.

"She gotta tight little body like a dancer, man, it'd be a waste to just sell her for the fur," the young one continued dreamily.

"We can sell 'er for the fur or we can breed 'er then sell the pups. If we did that we'd never have to work another day in our lives," smoker voice said as he sipped on his beer.

"Yeah, but where are we gonna get another Hati? Or Skoll?" The young one asked doubtful.

"It don't gotta be a Hati or Skoll, any pureblood would do, they'd still sell high," smoker voice said dismissing his companion's doubts.

"And I tell ya we better just sell 'er for the fur - bitch is somebody's pet," the third one said in his husky voice.

"How do you know?" The young one asked curiously. He seemed to be the naive one of the group.

"How do I know? Bitch won't eat what we got on our table and you tellin' me she's no one's pet? She's fuckin' spoiled rotten, I tell ya," gruff voice said before slamming his empty beer mug on the table.

"Shit, Mikey's got a point," the one with the smoker's voice said. "If she's really someone's pet then it won't be long before they start lookin' for 'er," he added thoughtfully.

"Well it ain't like we can skin her now," the young one said. "It takes a week for that shit to make the form permanent in a regular pureblood - this is a fuckin' Hati we're talking about!" He added heatedly.

"Got that right," gruff voice replied.

"I say we fight 'er till the form's permanent," smoker voice said pouring himself more beer from the pitcher.

"Aye, that gonna make us a shit load of cash too!" The young one cheered.

_They better not be talking about Hunter,_ Yagari thought as he tried to digest what he just heard. He tried listening in on more but the three changed their subject from the Hati to what they were going to do with the money.

Feeling uneasy, he paid for his drinks and left the bar. He had to get back to Cross Academy and make sure it really wasn't Hunter that they were talking about.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

-Later That Night-

"Where is she?!" Zero snarled shoving Kaname against the wall with enough force to crack it.

"I don't know what you're talking about Kiriyuu," Kaname replied as the prefect held him up by the front of his shirt with the Bloody Rose pointed at his temple.

"Bullshit!" Zero snapped. He spent the entire day searching for Hunter.

At first he didn't notice that she was missing until he prepared her steak and didn't have her jumping all over him to get it. Normally, regardless of where she was within the academy, she would always smell the food so not seeing her then was really what sent him searching for her.

Unfortunately after the early morning snow storm there were no tracks left anywhere on the grounds or in the forests and she was nowhere to be seen. The only one on campus who would have gladly ridden of Hunter was Kaname, thus automatically becoming the prime suspect.

"What the hell did you do with her?" he growled, pushing the gun's muzzle harder against Kaname's temple.

"I didn't do anything!" Kaname retorted with annoyance, this time using his powers to shove Zero away.

"Zero! Kaname-sempai!" Yuuki yelled running in. She was scared of them fighting. "Please! Stop this!" She begged with urgency as she tugged on Zero's arm to keep him from lunging at the pureblood.

Zero threw a quick sharp look at Yuuki then put his gun back in its rightful place. "If you had anything to do with this I promise you I _will_ kill you," he said to the pureblood venomously and left.

Walking out of the Moon Dorms he ignored the death glares he received from the other vampires. He knew that Kaname hated Hunter because he paid more attention to her than to Yuuki. It wasn't as if he did that by choice. The Chairman assigned him to "watch-duty" over Hunter and he was simply doing his job. Besides, if Kaname really wanted to protect Yuuki why didn't he watch over her himself?

Or was it all to torture him? To be beside Yuuki and to never be able to tell her how he felt because she already loved Kaname did in fact torment him. But was that bastard sadistic enough to get rid of Hunter because she messed up his plans a little?

That, he didn't know.

And out of all times that Lycian could have actually been _useful_, he had to go back to Italy. Could Hunter have gone to Italy with Lycian? Cross said that he left alone. Either way, contacting Lycian was his best shot.

Zero made his way back to the main building and walked into the Chairman's Office. "Do you have Lycian's number?" He asked the blonde man.

"Yes...do you miss him already?" Kaien joked handing him the werewolf's number scribbled on a piece of paper. He had yet to be informed of Hunter's disappearance.

"No," Zero replied flatly, snatching the number from him. He picked up the receiver and dialed the long number.

"What is this about?" Cross asked getting serious.

Zero listened to the rings. "Hunter's missing," he told the headmaster bluntly.

"What? What do you mean Hunter's missing?" Cross demanded, his face full of fatherly concern.

"Hello?" Came Lycian's voice on the other end.

"Lycian?" Zero asked ignoring the Chairman's inquisition.

"Yeah?" Lycian replied, his voice tired as if he hadn't slept in a while.

"It's Zero," he said into the receiver.

"Oh hey buddy, you missed me already?" Lycian asked as his voice lifted in tone.

"No, is Hunter with you?" The prefect asked casually. What's with them thinking he missed the guy?

"Uh, no, why would she? I left at four in the morning and just got home. Thought I was gonna get motion sickness from those bullet trains dude," the werewolf said casually with a small laugh. "Is everything okay?" He asked when Zero didn't say anything.

A knock resounded on the door catching both Zero's and the Chairman's attention.

"Come in," Cross said wondering who would be coming to see him at this hour.

The door opened and Yagari came in with a strange expression on his face.

"Yagari-san!" Cross exclaimed genuinely surprised to see his old friend.

"I hope your wolf isn't missing," Yagari said grimly.

* * *

Is it me or does this chapter feel like there's something missing? And I don't mean Hunter, lol. I don't know, but I feel like I missed something...

Anyhow, lorraine019 gave me an unusual request - draw a picture of Hunter. I'm considering it so I might do it. It might take some time as the closest thing I have ever drawn to a human was a stick figure but I'll give it a shot!

Haimaru - I have absolutely no idea why VK characters lick their victims before biting them. And yes, you're absolutely right, Dracula just chomped down on them like Hunter on a steak. Heh, maybe they lick them to clean their necks? Like 'lemme lick that dirt off your neck darlin' so it doesn't taint the taste of your blood....' ???? Or is it a fetish??? o_O

To everyone else: I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story. I'm trying my best to keep all the VK characters as close to their original personalities as possible. I don't think it'd be this much fun if they all just jumped on my OC like a fat menopausal lady on a cheeseburger.

Aside from all that - I'm sure many of you are wondering why I got rid of Lycian and sent him back to Italy. Well, if I had him stay at the academy it'd be a lot easier for them to find Hunter and that would be no fun - AND - what's happening to him in Italy will be relevant to what's happening at the academy....it's like killing two birds with one stone.

Now, a million dollar question to all writers who are reading this - has story research ever ruined a potential story? Like, have you guys ever had this great idea for a story and then started doing research for it only to find out something that completely ruined your story? Or am I the only one?


	26. O Juliet, Where Art Thou?

**Note: I really wanted this out last week but I ended up being too busy to write. Sorries. **

**As I have mentioned before, I was considering drawing a picture of Hunter and well I actually did. **

**So here's the link: http: // i996 .photobucket .com/ albums/ af87/ Emi667/ Random/ HSCHunter .jpg**

**Just copy and paste into your browser, remove all the spaces and it should come up!**

**I know I said that my extent of drawing humans was only stick figures but I didn't want to disappoint you guys so I ended up studying volumes of manga with busty girls and going through HUNDREDS of tutorials on how to draw manga/anime and this is the result. **

**She's not exactly anatomically correct, I messed up on her hair and she's missing her hands since I couldn't draw the hands and the lower part of her body, lol. **

**If anyone wants to draw Hunter please go for it! **

**I think it'd be interesting to see the different interpretations of her. **

**Replies to reviews at the end of the chapter like last time. **

**ENJOY!**

**[Handguns and Second Chances]**

**-26: O Juliet, Where Art Thou?-**

_"Bright cold silver moon,  
Tonight alone in my room,  
You were here just yesterday,  
Slight turn of the head,  
Eyes down when you said,  
I guess I need my life to change,  
Seems like something's just aren't the same,  
What could I say?"_

-Tongue Tied by Faber Drive

Silence hung heavily in the air after Yagari explained what he had heard at the bar. Zero felt even more restless now that he found out what happened to Hunter and what the men were planning to do with her. He had to find her before it would be too late. The idea of her being skinned for her fur was incomprehensible though. He had a hard time wrapping his mind around it.

"Huh, if it's not one thing it's another..." Lycian sighed exasperatedly on the other end. "Anyway, you guys ought to get your asses in gear and start looking for Hunter. She's being injected, so you got less than a week to find her," he added as a matter-of-factly. He really wanted to help them find Hunter but he was already in Italy and had to find his brother and best friend first. The situation depressed him.

Zero, being currently the middle-man, passed on the message.

"What do you mean she's being injected?" Cross asked unfamiliar with what seemed to be werewolf jargon.

"What I meant is that the poachers are injecting her with this weird shit that forces her to fully transform into her wolf-self and one of the main things about it is that if a werewolf is repeatedly injected over a certain period of time without being allowed to transform back into a human they eventually become wolves permanently," Lycian explained in the simplest of terms he could think of.

He then went on to explain that the injection was originally developed by the hunters in order to improve their own hunting abilities. That to them, it was like taking steroids without the side effects. Eventually, somewhere down the road they discovered that the injections, when given to werewolves, would forcefully transform them. The injection itself was made of wolf blood and other ingredients, some of them common herbs, and virtually harmless. Its effects on werewolves often wore off after twenty-four or less hours and that's all there was to it.

However, the concoction somehow leaked into the hands of the poachers and at first they used it to break werewolves into dog fighting. It was a lucrative business for them as no dog could ever take on a werewolf and win. What they learned later was that if a werewolf was repeatedly injected without being allowed to transform back into a human, over time its wolf form would become permanent.

"With werewolves it's like this - if you kill one whether it's transformed or not - it will return to its human form. Unless the form is permanent, that is," Lycian said, unloading what he had learned over years from being a werewolf himself.

"But why would they want to kill werewolves for their fur?" Yagari asked, his brows furrowed as he tried to comprehend the dementia of skinning werewolves.

"Because their fur is of the highest quality ever known to man and can sell for millions," Lycian replied flatly. "The rarer the breed the higher the cost of the fur," he added as he thought about how much Hunter's fur could possibly be worth.

"Judging by the fact that Hunter is a Hati wolf, these guys could probably sell her fur for over a _billion_ if not more," he finally said, feeling as if his estimate was close enough.

Zero cringed inwardly. That was just sick. He couldn't imagine Hunter being a wolf to begin with, let alone being skinned.

"Ah...but what bothers me is how these men found out about werewolves being in this area?" Cross asked as his mind became muddled over what could have possibly gone wrong for this to happen.

"These bastards will hunt anything that can profit them - even vampires. My guess is they were here either looking for vampires and ran into Hunter or someone leaked that there were werewolves here," Lycian said as he raked his mind for answers.

_If this goes public she might be killed_, the words rang in Zero's mind from months ago when Hunter first arrived.

"Who could have leaked it though?" Yagari asked as the idea made him search his mental profiles of everyone he knew that could be a potential suspect.

"Uh...well...we _were_ having that turned werewolf problem...so I'd say it was either a word-of-mouth thing about a huge wolf stealing sheep or...one of your vampires leaked it. No one else knew about us," Lycian said as he made a mental list of all the vampires that knew of him and Hunter.

Zero's thoughts instantly focused in on Kaname. He was the only one who hated Hunter enough to have gone this far. But was it really him? He questioned the bastard already and he denied everything. Then again Kaname did kill that pureblooded bitch and blamed it all on him. Oh, how he hated that guy...

"How do we find her?" Zero suddenly asked as he felt an obstinate knot of anger develop in the pit of his stomach. A part of him knew that Kaname had to have had something to do with this. Or maybe he simply wanted the bastard to be the one behind it just so he could have a reason to kill him.

Lycian felt the anger behind Zero's voice. "Yagari said that they were going to fight her, right?" He asked changing the subject, knowing very well what Zero was thinking about.

"Yeah," Zero replied as he thought of killing Kaname.

"That's a clue right there as to where you guys should look for her. I don't know why they'd want to fight her though," Lycian said.

"What do you mean?" Zero asked perplexed. All this talk about werewolves was not only alien to him but ridiculous as well.

"Dude, she's a fucking Hati. If she fully transformed she's as big as a god damn war horse - and not any war horse at that. I'm talking like a draft war horse, like one of those shires...we're talking twenty hands high, two-thousand pounds heavy," Lycian explained trying to give Zero a visual. "I don't know how they intend to fight something that big or even move it around," he added in an afterthought.

When Zero said nothing the werewolf continued.

"Also you mentioned a guy named Julio - he's the shit bag who's got my brother. So for what it's worth I suggest scouting the woods too," Lycian said as he began to feel his own anger rise within him.

"What for? I already searched the woods. The snow storm covered all the tracks," Zero countered finding it pointless to search the woods again.

"Zero, when a werewolf gets in a fight no snow storm can cover the damage and I highly doubt she went down without a struggle," Lycian replied as he recalled his own battles.

"What if I don't find anything?" Zero challenged wanting to avoid any unnecessary work that would delay him.

"When you were searching the woods you were looking for Hunter - a human. This time don't look for Hunter, look for a werewolf. You know her blood don't you?" Lycian asked, his words like a punch in the gut. "I mean, you've treated her wounds before and shit so you _should_ know what her blood smells like, right?" He elaborated when Zero didn't say anything.

"Yes..." the vampire said uneasily. For a second he thought that Lycian was referring to him drinking her blood.

"Then search the woods first, if these guys are associated with Julio then they're probably renting a cabin out in the woods. Meaning, if Hunter was wounded then there should be a blood trail leading you right to where she is," Lycian expanded further on his reasoning.

"What if she wasn't wounded?" Zero asked still not entirely convinced by the current plan of action.

"Oh for fucks sake Zero! Why can't you just listen to me for once?!" Lycian exploded with frustration.

To that, Zero had nothing to say. The idea of searching the woods seemed pointless to him and he would much rather get a faster and more concrete way of finding Hunter as soon as possible. He didn't know why but _he had to_ find her and it wasn't just because it was the right thing to do.

"Give me Yagari," Lycian said sharply when he didn't receive a reply.

Zero handed the phone over to the hunter.

"Yes?" Yagari asked, secretly itching for a cigarette.

"Here's what you guys need to do," Lycian began his tone now more authoritative. "I want you to search all organized underground dog fights in the area within a fifty-mile radius of the academy. I also want that stubborn-ass named Zero to search the woods tomorrow since he won't find shit at night, no ifs, no buts, he has to do it," He instructed, his commands rolling off his tongue as if he was already the alpha-male of his pack.

"I also want Cross to start doing a little investigative work on who's behind this. Any bit of information that he can get might bring us closer to finding Hunter. Keep it all on the down low though, no one else needs to know about this. Now give me that idiot and give us some privacy," Lycian added with impatience.

Touga Yagari handed Zero the phone and told Kaien to come out with him as Lycian requested some privacy and to pass on what the Benandanti ordered.

"What?" Zero asked a little peeved once he was alone in the office. He wanted to start looking for Hunter and not chat on the phone like an old gossip lady.

"Listen, I'd seriously love to be the knight in shining armor that finds and rescues Hunter but I can't. I have to save my little brother and best friend first," Lycian began almost dejected.

"I didn't even know you had a little brother," Zero said in a non-descriptive tone.

"Yeah, well, I have a little brother and a sister, and a psychotic self-proclaimed fiancé, and I know the monkey's uncle," Lycian replied sarcastically.

"What?" Zero asked now utterly confused. Since when did Lycian have a fiancé?

"Never mind," Lycian snapped. "The point is that I told you all this before, but you only listened to me when I talked about Hunter - and nothing else," he said almost accusingly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zero asked suddenly feeling defensive.

"Are you really that thickheaded?" Lycian asked with disbelief. "Zero, I may be a little perverted –"

"A little?" Zero challenged.

"Okay - I may be _extremely_ perverted - but I'm not stupid. You're completely and utterly in love with Hunter!" Lycian declared with utmost confidence.

Zero froze. Was he in love with Hunter? Unlikely, it didn't seem possible. "As if," he responded defiantly. The only one he was in love with was Yuuki.

"And you're in denial..." Lycian countered.

"How can I possibly be in love with her?" Zero's tone dared him to explain his reasoning. He did undeniably feel attracted towards her but that was because he drank her blood, not because he was in love with her.

"Oh please, you two were already married when I got to the academy, you fucking mule..." Lycian countered dismissively. "Anyway, this isn't the time to fight, you need to find her," he quickly added to change the subject.

_Did he just call me a fucking mule?_ Zero's face contorted in confusion as he wondered if he really heard what he thought he did.

"We're friends so I trust you and I know you can and will find her, alright?" The werewolf said his tone now more affable.

The words struck Zero. Did Lycian really think of him as a friend? He never really considered anyone to be his friend before, maybe besides Yuuki. It was a really strange feeling to be called a friend. What was Lycian to him then? What was Hunter to him? Were they both friends? Was it because they were friends that he wanted to find her? Or was it something deeper like Lycian said?

"Just do it before it's too late, I don't know the pet policy at Cross Academy," he said with a light chuckle.

"What if I really don't find anything in the woods?" Zero asked, still skeptical and unsure of the plan while trying to cover his earlier thoughts.

"Then howl," Lycian replied shortly.

"What?" Zero didn't know what that was supposed to mean.

"Howl, she's a wolf, she'll respond," Lycian said and hung up.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lycian hung up the phone and groaned, burying his face in his hands. Out of all times Hunter had to get caught when he wasn't there. _Seriously..._he thought with slight aggravation as now he had to count on the vampire to rescue her. He knew that Zero would find her no matter what. The guy was obviously into her regardless of how much he denied it.

A light chuckle came from the door catching his attention. Looking up, saw his sister standing in the doorway. As much as they fought and bickered he was glad to see her. "Hey, sis..." he greeted, his brown eyes meeting her sea-green ones.

He always teased her that she was swapped at the clinic since they didn't look like they'd be siblings. On other occasions he told her that she was a ding-dong-ditch baby or that their mother found her in the woods. Even Gabriel joined in on the teasing once he was old enough to understand what was going on.

"Heh, this was the first time I heard you admit to defeat," his sister, Rozabella, said with a small teasing smile.

Yet despite all the teasing, she was still his little sister. She may not look much like him or Gabriel but everyone in the pack said that she looked just like their great-grandmother who was said to be one of the most beautiful Benandanti werewolves. Not like he cared. Rozabella would always be his little sister no matter what. The only thing he was glad about now was that he didn't have to marry her to keep their blood pure like the vampires did. He found it disturbing.

Lycian grinned. "Yeah...and to a _vampire_..." he said in a mock sour voice."Hey, Rozie, how's dad doing?" He asked her in an afterthought, his tone soft.

"He's doing fine. Give him a few more days and he'll be going around yelling at everyone again," Rozabella laughed.

"I didn't mean it like _that_..." Lycian said hinting at their father's mental well being rather than physical.

"Eh, he'll get over it. They were ambushed and he was loaded with silver bullets - there was nothing he could have done to save them. He should feel lucky to be still alive," she replied with a shrug.

"No shit," Lycian said knowing very well that his father would be blaming himself for what had happened.

"So you ready?" He asked, flashing her a mischievous grin.

"Of course," she replied with a smirk.

It was time to get their brother and friend back.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Zero slammed the phone down on the cradle. "Howl?! He's gotta be kidding me!" He growled and stormed out of the Chairman's Office, earning himself strange looks from both Yagari and Cross.

"Zero-kun, you know what you're supposed to do, right?" Yagari asked carefully.

"Yeah," Zero barked in reply and made his way upstairs.

He unconsciously made his way to Hunter's room and froze when he realized where he was.

Without Hunter the room felt unusually cold and empty. Had he taken her for granted and expected her to always be there? A strange feeling loneliness mixed with heartache and yearning penetrated him to the very core.

_You're completely and utterly in love with Hunter!_ Lycian's words echoed in his mind.

_Am not! _He thought and dropped down on her bed without thinking. Rolling over, he buried his face in one of her pillows and inhaled deeply. Her trademark honeysuckle scent still lingered on the sheets, triggering nostalgia.

_"Zeerrooo....I'm huuunngrrryy!!!" Hunter whined with a small pout while she sat on her bed. Her long hair was a mess and her wrinkled uniform blouse unbuttoned halfway revealing her ample cleavage._

_"Fix your shirt," he ordered finding it inappropriate. _

_"Huh?" She cocked her head slightly as she looked at him in surprise. "Don't change the subject damn it!" She snapped and tried to stand up on her bed but got tangled in her bed sheets and fell to the floor with a dull thud. _

The corners of his mouth twitched into the barest of smiles at the memory. Hunter was always like this. Blunt, sharp-tongued, lazy, endlessly hungry, quite vulgar and always a mess. Of course he was one of the rare few who knew this side of her since she always cleaned up when she had to attend classes. If the guys in Day Class knew of just her real personality they wouldn't even consider having the fantasies they've been cultivating since she arrived.

A sigh escaped him. Without Hunter around to be the usual racket making culprit everything felt eerily quiet. Was it always this quiet? Or had he gotten so used to her being around that he had forgotten how it used to be?

He pondered on the thought as he tried to recall the academy before Hunter's arrival. At first she was quiet, still and obedient - like a doll. Over time she began opening up and causing trouble. Then she partially turned into a wolf...caused more trouble...and then she kissed him.

His hand subconsciously traveled up to his mouth and he touched his lips with the pads of his fingers. Every time he thought about her kisses he could still feel and taste her lips against his. Not only did she always smell like honeysuckle she also tasted just as sweet.

_You're completely and utterly in love..._

Was he? In truth, he didn't know. Why? Because whenever he thought about it he always realized that he really knew nothing about Hunter except what he was told or what he had noticed. So how can you be in love with someone you don't know? One thing for sure that he did know was that he didn't hate her. Yes, she annoyed him and was a little bratty but he didn't hate her.

Was it possible for him to be in love with her?

Maybe.

Every time he thought about the way her lips felt against his, his heart skipped a beat.

Was it lust then?

An infatuation?

Most likely.

Did her blood have anything to do with it?

No.

It didn't taste like blood to begin with and he didn't find himself lusting after it. Her blood made everything else taste weird too.

So what did that make Hunter to him? Was she a mere pet? A chore? A friend?

The thoughts made his head ache. He didn't know what Hunter was to him. He wasn't even sure of how he exactly felt about her. The only way for him to find out was to find her first.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hunter awoke with another splitting headache and felt her body being jerked around. Sitting up she looked around her surroundings and noticed she was no longer in the shed, or whatever it was, but in the back of what looked like a truck. The wheels hit another pothole causing her to lose balance and fall onto the cage floor with a dull thud of fur and muscle against metal.

The chains around her thick mane clanked reminding her of the inward spiked collar that uncomfortably dug into her skin. _Stupid thing_...she grumbled mentally as she scratched her neck with her hind paw making the heavy chains attached at both sides of the collar rattle loudly.

She heaved a sigh and stretched. Her ears perked up when she heard the men talking in the front.

"Looks like wolfie's up," one of them said. It was Mikey, the guy with the gruff voice.

"You guys really think she a Hati?" Jesse, the youngest one of the group, asked doubtfully.

"Yeah, she got that mark behind her ear 'n shit," the smoker voice, whose name as Hunter learned, was Ronnie.

Considering that both smoker and gruff voice were built like brick shithouses, their names, in Hunter's opinion, didn't suit them at all. If it were up to her, she would have named the two Bubba I and Bubba II, since they looked like trailer park truck drivers on steroids. Jesse, on the other hand, was this tall but scrawny guy with too much gel in his hair. It made her wonder how he ended up with the two giants.

"But ain't she a little small to be a Hati man?" Jesse said as he glanced back at Hunter, who in turn was scratching herself as if she had fleas.

"No shit, but what the hell we gonna do? She obviously ain't a pureblooded bitch. Shit, we lucky that we even caught a mixed Hati mutt like 'er," Ronnie said, his thick accent slurring his words a little.

"Jess, the mark's there, she's a Hati," Mikey reassured his younger comrade.

"Ah well, fuck it, a werewolf's a werewolf. There aint't that many of 'em around anyway," Ronnie added pleased with what they had caught.

"So you call'd Julio yet?" Mikey asked mischievously.

"Hell ya, bastard's meetin' us up at _Krasnoyarovo_, he said he wants to see what we caught," Ronnie replied with a laugh that turned into a hack due to the tar congestion in his lungs.

_Disgusting,_ Hunter thought tuning out their conversation as they talked about some Julio guy and what his reaction was going to be when he saw her.

The bumpy ride continued for hours. Out of boredom Hunter ended up counting all the potholes the truck hit and was currently at the total of seven-hundred-and-twenty-three potholes. Judging by that number it occurred to her that they must have been traveling through all the dirt roads in the country side, far away from towns and villages. Inhaling through her nose, she could smell pine trees, which meant that they were driving through a forested area.

She opened her jaws wide as another yawn of boredom escaped her. Sitting locked in a cage with no decent food for at least three days now was worse than being under Zero's surveillance twenty-four-seven and having Lycian peek at her in the bathroom combined.

Her stomach growled loudly. Oh how she'd kill for a steak...These bastards kept on only giving her leftovers as if she'd actually eat them. At one point they even gave her a rabbit's guts. What the hell was wrong with these people?

The truck suddenly came to a stop and Hunter flew forward, hitting her head against the iron bars. _Ow, what the fuck? Don't you know how to drive?!_ She cussed mentally as she threw a glare at the front of the truck.

The cab door opened and slammed as the three men piled out and made their way to the back. They opened the back of the truck, the sudden light temporarily blinding Hunter.

"C'mon, I'ma get 'er on this side, and you get 'er on the other. Jesse, you gonna open the cage," Ronnie ordered and the three climbed in the back.

Ronnie grabbed the chain on Hunter's left side and Mikey grabbed the second chain on her right, while Jesse climbed on the top of the cage to open the gate. She briefly growled at them as they tugged on the chains.

"Got 'er, open up," Ronnie said when his hold on the chain was solid.

Jesse opened the cage and Hunter darted forward in hopes of ripping the chains out of their hands and taking off.

But no such luck. The two men yanked on her chains roughly, pulling her back and causing the inward spikes to dig into her neck. She began to thrash and jump around violently, snarling and growling at the men, but to no avail. At some point she nearly managed to lunge at Mikey but Jesse hit her over the head with a large crowbar before she could clamp her jaws down on the man's arm.

Hunter yelped in pain and redirected her attack towards Jesse, who hit her with the crowbar once more, this time striking her shoulder blade. She yelped but didn't stop and lunged at him once more.

"What? Think your threats gonna work on us?" Jesse mocked poking at her with the crowbar while laughing.

"Quit it, Jess, we gotta tie 'er up before she rips our hands off!" Ronnie barked at him, perspiration running down his face as he struggled to maintain his hold on the heavy chain.

Jesse obeyed with disappointment written on his face that he didn't bother to hide. Mikey and Ronnie then dragged the thrashing wolf to two thick trees that they intended to tie her to.

Mikey went up to one of the trees with his chain and tied it around the trunk, locking it in place with a heavy padlock, while Ronnie pulled on the other end to keep her from attacking either of them.

When one end of the chain was locked in, Ronnie did the same on his end, leaving Hunter barely enough room to pace around.

"We're gonna go to town to meet up with Julio, you keep an eye on her," Mikey said to Jesse as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Why me???" Jesse whined as he wanted to be the one to boast of their catch.

"Cos someone's gotta keep an eye on 'er," Ronnie said before wiping his face in his shirt.

Jesse grumbled some sort of agreement and watched the two men hop into the truck and take off. When the truck left, Hunter noticed that there was a decent sized cabin, the kind that one would rent out for a vacation off in the woods to go hiking or to simply get away from the general population. It looked expensive too.

Just as Hunter was criticizing the building's architecture and lack of originality, Jesse came up to her with the crowbar in his right hand, his gaze derogatory.

Hunter instinctively growled at him. For a naïve greenhorn he sure as hell was crueler than the pros. She figured he was probably some loser who used to get bullied for his scrawny chicken legs and bad hair and now that he was a poacher with two gorillas as friends he thought he was tough shit.

Her ears flattened against her head and her fur bristled. Releasing a deep threatening growl she lowered her head and eyed him suspiciously, ready to strike any second.

"What are you lookin' at, huh?" Jesse harassed as he jabbed at her with the crowbar.

Hunter snapped her jaws at the crowbar but he pulled it away before she could bite down on it.

"Ha! Stupid wolf!" Jesse exclaimed as he continued to jab at her.

"Huh?! You think you can get this?! Huh?! Huh?!" He said repeatedly jabbing at her, occasionally catching her sides painfully.

She lunged at Jesse once more, the spikes digging into her neck deeper and choking her in the process.

"Stupid bitch!" He exclaimed aiming for her head.

This time Hunter caught the crowbar between her powerful jaws, her carnassials deeply denting the steel.

"Shit!" Jesse exclaimed jumping away from the wolf. He muttered some incoherent curses afterwards and walked away towards the cabin, leaving her with the crowbar.

_Run away you fucking pussy!_ Hunter thought dropping the piece of steel. With Jesse out of sight she walked backwards as far as she could and relieved herself, covering it all up with snow afterwards like a cat.

_What a relief…_she sighed once her bladder felt at ease. Having to hold it all in for the entire ride was really painful but she was a firm believer of 'don't shit where you sleep.'

Hunter sat down on the snow as far away from her pee as possible and took in her surroundings. It wasn't as if she had anything better to do since she was hungry and tied up to two trees. How many days has it been? She wondered since she couldn't remember. They knocked her out for most of the part. It could have been three days…or a week. Hunter honestly didn't know.

She knew she spent some time on a train and had been moved from one truck to another. But that was all she knew.

Another sigh came out of her and she continued to ponder on anything that came to her mind. She figured that Zero already figured out that she was missing and that he had already informed the Chairman. They were all probably looking for about now. If she was right, Lycian would have found the dead werewolf by now in the woods and they'd all be trying to trail her via blood. Though how far would they get doing that?

Not very far.

Would they ever find her? Probably not. She did run away after all. Then got caught by these idiots and now she had no idea where she was. It wasn't as if she had a plan to begin with. At the time her priority was getting away rather than having a strategy of what to do once she was out of the academy. It was stupid and based on how things turned out, it seemed as if her stupidity came around and bit her in the ass. Then again, common sense was never her forte.

_I'm so bored..._she grumbled mentally. Being this werewolf thing sucked. In her opinion at least. She couldn't talk, she had no superpowers like the vampires did, and all she could do is act like a wolf. _Demigod my ass_, she thought bitterly.

Hunter scratched herself behind the ear once more and looked around. Her silver eyes fell upon the dented crowbar. Boredom getting the best of her, she got up and picked up the piece of steel with her canines, then lay down and began gnawing on it.

_I mean, like seriously..._she ranted mentally while chewing on the steel, her incisors digging into it._ It's so fucking lame, I just wanted to get away from that, blah, fucking nun, and this had to happen...this tastes gross!_ She thought but continued to gnaw on the crowbar as a strange sort of frustration began bubbling within her.

_All I want right now is a steak! These bastards will STARVE ME to DEATH before they even manage to skin me like they said they would..._she ranted, now annihilating the piece of steel.

The crowbar snapped in half when she bit down hard on it. _Great, now I got nothing to chew on_, she thought dismayed as she looked at the mangled steel.

_Oh!_ An idea just struck her.

Walking the furthest distance the left chain permitted to her right, she snapped her jaws around the right chain and bit down on it as hard as she could, hoping it would break like the crowbar.

But instead it was her teeth that felt as if they were going to be broken.

"Ahh!! Ow! Ow! OW!!!! Fuck! Blah! That fucking hurt! Gaaah!!" Hunter screamed out in pain but it only came out as a bunch of whimpers, yelps, squeaks, whines and any other noise that her current vocal chords could make.

"What the fuck is this made of, silver?!" She barked while trying to massage her muzzle with her front paws to ease the pain.

"Ahh, this huuurts!!!! I think I broke my teeth!!! I need to see a dentist!" She whined, her words nothing more but an assortment of noises.

While trying to ease her pain, Hunter didn't notice the truck return followed by another one. It wasn't until the men piled out and slammed the doors that she heard them.

"That your werewolf?" A burly man with a thick Italian accent asked.

"Yeah," Ronnie smirked. He hadn't told Julio that Hunter was a Hati.

"Damn small, what's wrong with it?" Julio asked looking slightly confused at the whining wolf as it tried to rub its muzzle with its front paws.

"Probably bit the chain," Mikey said and they burst out laughing.

Hunter stopped her whining and looked at the men. She recognized Ronnie and Mikey, but there were three others that she hadn't seen before. Though she assumed that by the way they were acting, the Italian in a fancy leather jacket was more than likely the Julio guy they were talking about. The other two were probably just his subordinates.

Julio then whistled and a large German Shepherd jumped out of the second truck, wagging his tail happily to see his master. "C'mon boy," he said affectionately to the dog.

"The pit's in the basement. I wanna see what that werewolf of yours can do since you called me all the way out here," Julio said almost dispassionately as he was obviously disappointed with Hunter's size.

Mikey and Ronnie exchanged mischievous glances and made their way to Hunter, unlocking the heavy padlocks one at a time and hauled Hunter towards the cabin.

This time she didn't bother to struggle as she found no point in doing so. Her teeth were still on fire.

They dragged her into the cabin, then down a flight of stairs, with Mikey going down first, Hunter in the middle and Ronnie at the back in case she would decide to lunge at either. At some point Jesse joined them, excitement written all over his face.

Once in the basement, Hunter noticed that it was quite roomy and that there was a deep pit in the middle with a ceiling-high chain link fence surrounding it. There were also two gates of access with metal ladders going down into the pit.

Ronnie and Mikey dragged Hunter to one of the gates. Julio opened the gate for them and they quickly undid the inwardly spiked collar around her neck before roughly shoving her into the pit.

Hunter landed with a thud on the concrete and cringed as her nose was assaulted with the stench of old dried blood.

Looking around, she saw that the concrete pit walls were six foot tall and stained with blood. Were they finally going to butcher her? No, they wanted to see what she could do. Did that mean they were going to make her fight against a dog or something?

She paced nervously around the pit, the bright lights that hung above were blinding, preventing her from looking up at the men.

"Her fur's really nice, you sure you want to fight her?" Julio asked maliciously as he doubted Hunter's fighting abilities.

Ronnie scoffed. "Throw your best one in," he said.

"Not yet, I don't wanna waste my time if she ain't worth it," Julio replied as his eyes followed Hunter's nervous pacing.

He then looked at his dog. "Kill," he ordered opening the gate and the dog jumped in, ready to execute his master's orders.

* * *

**I'llxBexUrxEngima2010 **- first - THANK YOU for rewriting your long ass review because I loved it! Lol... I didn't reply to your review in the last chapter because I got it right after I posted the new chapter...so I'm replying in this one. Now, the Tony thing - all I have to say is that I'm not offended because I didn't make him the sharpest tool in the shed and it wouldn't be funny if all of my characters were politically correct all the time. It's not like bats can fly out of someone's crotch either so....

And if he's back again I'll make sure he says more stupid stuff.

As far as it goes for Yuuki - I wish I could get rid of her but since the story is centered around Zero and she's a big part of his life and who he is and yadda yadda - I can't. But there IS a surprise awaiting Yuuki later in this story...

Okay, onto the general question I asked last time about research ruining a story.

See, what happened was that I was playing Assassin's Creed a few months ago and I heard one of the informers ask Altair (the assassin) if he's heard from this "Adha" or whatever her name was and he replied "no." So this idea sparked in my head that this Adha was some woman Altair was more than likely in love with and that it would make a great story about Altair having woman troubles. Since I didn't know anything about this Adha woman at the time I was like "what if she's a woman he's madly in love with but because he's this arrogant asshole and she left him? And then they randomly run into each other and he tries to win her back and blah, blah..."

Anyway, I kinda just noted that and threw it in my random research pile (I actually have piles of random research) and let it be until recently.

I know this story is going to end eventually so I kinda wanted to start compiling research for my next story and I was going to write that Assassin's Creed fanfic but then I researched "Adha" and it lead me to Altair Chronicles (prequel to Assassin's Creed) and well I learned who Adha was and how HORRIBLE the storyline of Altair Chronicles was and I ended up hating her and thus my hate for the real Adha ruined my potential story....

*Sigh...* Okay, moving on!

DarkValkyrie89 - your idea on why the VK vampires lick their victims is definitely my favorite one. I haven't even thought of that!

And now my reply to "Anonymous?"....

I must agree with you on the fact that Hunter seems like a semi Mary-Sue in the earlier chapters but that was because she didn't have much of a personality. If you're not sick of her Mary-Sueness yet, I suggest that you might want to keep reading the story as Hunter's character develops throughout the whole story.

I'm not offended and I don't think you're being mean so it's fine. I'm aware I can't please everyone as we all have different tastes. Some people like vanilla ice cream and some like chocolate - that's all there's to it.

Anyway, if anyone is confused, as I do tend to write vaguely, I'll clarify some Hunter + VK things here.

For one, this story sprouted from a simple idea of "what if there was a werewolf in VK?" and then that werewolf became female but I didn't want her to be just any werewolf.

Originally Hunter was going to be a _Chetvorok_, which in I think Macedonian mythology (correct me if I'm wrong) is a dog with a whorl over each eye making it look like it has four eyes and it was used to fight against vampires. Basically an anti-vampire doggie from ancient times. But at the time, during my research, when I Googled _Chetvorok_ I got no hits and now if I Google it I only get two lousy links with barely any decent information and I didn't want to give you guys something you can't research on your own without having to go to your public library and dig through tons of books on mythology.

So that was out and then I searched through all the mythological dogs and wolves because I wanted to give this female werewolf a background. Eventually I settled on the Fenrir bloodline (as I liked the myth) and thus I had a demigod descendant of Hati (one of Fenrir's son) and it was a she.

Because she was a descendant of a demigod I decided to make her beautiful. I mean, why not? I only gave her large boobs because the VK girls seem to lack them.

Then when I had her looks I decided to name her Hunter. Why? Because the name suited her. I tried dozens of names but they didn't suit her as well as Hunter.

When I started writing the story I used the _tabula rasa_ concept for her personality, meaning _blank slate_. Anyone familiar with Sigmund Freud knows what it is, but anyway, I basically gave her no personality and developed it over time based on nature and nurture.

Hunter's personality was developed in a way to compensate for her looks to keep her from being a Mary-Sue and to suit Zero. In other words, Hunter was made for Zero, and only him.

The fact that she is this all-powerful-demigod-wolf-that-can-kill-vampires is up for interpretation. I haven't said she IS all that. It's what the VK characters interpreted her as based on her bloodline. This whole thing with what she is was based on the proverb that says "fear makes the wolf bigger than he is."

As far as it goes for her relationships and interactions with others, I can assure everyone that not every VK character likes her. Zero currently has a crush on her (it's not love yet, too early) and as far as it goes for Kain and Hanabusa they're only friends. Kain was initially only interested in Hunter because the fake grandmother I gave him told him stories about werewolves when he was a kid. Hanabusa only tagged along because he found her lively and he likes blood from lively girls. Eventually they got to know Hunter and they became friends.

Lycian is an OC of mine because I didn't want Hunter to be the only werewolf. He's not in love with Hunter but because I made him a pervert he would love to score her. Meaning, he's only lusting after her.

The other VK characters could really care less for Hunter and she even has her own hate club with Kaname as the president, Ruka the vice-president, and Tony as the current public relations advocate to promote hatred towards Hunter because she stole Zero from him.

Hunter's personality isn't fully developed yet and there are a lot of other mysteries about her to be answered. I'll get to them as the story continues.

I also must clarify that she isn't based on me and I don't have a particular affection towards the name Hunter. If Hunter was based on me, her name wouldn't be Hunter, but Emily Rose and everyone would call her Emi, and she'd be a secretly nerdy human juggling three part-time jobs and would meet Zero while working at one of her jobs when he comes to the store she works at to get provisions and the only exchange that would occur between them would be "hi, how may I help you?" and "your total is...." then "thank you, have a nice day." As she would take no initiative or even bother to get to know him and there would be no romance whatsoever.

So! Sorry if I sound like I'm ranting, but I'm really not and I'm sorry I wrote so much at the end of this delayed chapter but I'm used to writing a lot since I'm always forced to elaborate my points in my papers....I'm a history major after all, lmao! I also hope that this painfully long note explained and clarified everything.


	27. WANTED: Suggestions&Ideas

**WANTED: Suggestions & Ideas**

Okay guys, Cherry here needs a little help. I'm having some trouble placing VK in a time and place.

I'm kinda wondering where Cross Academy could be located in the world 'cause depending on where it is, it'll play a big role on what happens in the next chapter.

I figured that the manga/anime itself thing is more than likely placed in an "alternate dimension" since when I look at it from my academic/historical point of view it doesn't make sense and I can't exactly figure out what they do and don't have in VK or where this is all taking place.

I guess the "time" isn't as important as the "place" in this case. It's actually impossible to roughly estimate what decade the story is taking place in as there is a whole clash of things from the 1800's, 1920's through 1930's, and the present. So time-wise I'm letting it be as it won't have anything to do with H&SC.

However, I'd like to at least have a rough idea where I can plant Cross Academy in the world.

Based on what I noticed in the VK manga/anime is that it all seems to be taking place somewhere in Europe.

I mean, the building architecture of Cross Academy, the nearby town, and the Vampire Hunter's Association, is European.

The fancy balls, clothing, social classes, general society (as in people in the town and etc) are also European.

So I was wondering if it's alright to plant the academy somewhere in Europe or if I should go with the general assumption that Cross Academy is located in Japan, just because the manga/anime is Japanese (I think?).

Anyway, this is where I need your guys' help.

Should I place Cross Academy in Europe or in Japan?

And if in Europe then where?

Any suggestions? Ideas?

Any kind of input will be greatly appreciated.

P.S. If you're reading this and wondering where the new chapter is - go back. It's the one before this post =).


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